Paradox games under fire. Review bombing from Chinese players hits Stellaris, Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis

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It seems that review bombing has become quite excessive these days. While there can be amusing instances like the review bombing incident in Helldivers 2, more often than not, it’s not about evaluating the game’s true quality. Instead, it frequently stems from dissatisfaction with the developers or issues entirely unrelated to the game itself. The recent Paradox situation is only adding to this chaos and creating a fresh layer of confusion.

When alternate history causes real drama

Back on February 13th, a fresh Dev Diary for Hearts of Iron IV dropped, revealing an intriguing alternate history scenario: the British Raj (India). Instead of following the usual timeline with India eventually breaking free from British rule, as a gamer, I can now explore various political avenues that redefine its destiny, ultimately resulting in the emergence of the grand Silk Road Empire.

This proposed scenario, in which India expands into a larger nation with territorial claims against present-day China, has sparked strong reactions among Chinese gamers. To clarify, when I say “strong reactions,” I mean they’re not just flooding Hearts of Iron IV with negative reviews, but expressing their discontent towards almost every game developed by Paradox Interactive.

Ever since games like Stellaris, Europa Universalis IV, and Crusader Kings III (and more) by Paradox Development Studio have been receiving negative feedback on Steam from Chinese gamers, it’s left me rather puzzled. These are titles that let players craft their own histories, after all! It seems some find historical inaccuracies problematic within a game where alternate realities are the norm.

As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but notice the impact of negative feedback on games we all love, such as Diablo IV and Helldivers 2. While it’s understandable when criticism is warranted, as was the case with Diablo IV where things were indeed chaotic and led to a low PS5 user rating of 2.6, it can still take a toll on a game’s success and popularity.

In situations like Helldivers 2 in May 2024, where mass refund requests even threatened the job security of the community manager, or after the Escalation of Freedom update that left many players dissatisfied, the backlash was significant. However, these instances didn’t reach the extreme point where every other project from the developer became a target of criticism.

In situations such as these dramas, it’s important to remember that unjustified negative reviews could attract attention. Hopefully, the dedicated fans of the affected games might step in and balance out the ratings once more.

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2025-02-17 19:02