Crusader Kings II
A medieval dynasty simulator with complex diplomacy and intrigue.
Crusader Kings II is a grand strategy game from Paradox Development Studio and Paradox Interactive. Released on February 14, 2012, it takes place in the Middle Ages and follows up on the 2004 original, *Crusader Kings*. The game brought in a larger player base than earlier Paradox titles, helping the company expand.
In *Crusader Kings II*, players control a medieval dynasty from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, with any start date between September 15, 1066, and December 31, 1337. Success is achieved through war, marriage, assassination, and other means, with the player defining what success means. The goal is to earn prestige and piety points to outrank historical dynasties like the Capetians, Rurikids, and Habsburgs. The game ends if the ruler dies without a dynasty heir, if all landed titles of count rank or above are lost, or when 1453 arrives (unless in observer mode). Many historical figures appear, such as William the Conqueror, Charlemagne, Genghis Khan, and Saladin, but players can also choose minor dukes or counts, or create custom characters with the Ruler Designer DLC. A genetics and education system passes traits, culture, religion, and skills from parents and guardians to children, making marriage choices a strategic trade-off between alliances and desirable heritable traits.
Third-party mods are available through sites like the Steam Workshop. On April 23, 2017, Paradox data showed at least 42% of users had activated a mod, including cheat mods, graphics mods, and realism mods like Historical Immersion Project and CK2+. Popular total conversion mods include *A Game of Thrones* (based on George R.R. Martin’s novels), *After the End* (set in a 27th-century post-apocalyptic North America), *Elder Kings* (based on *The Elder Scrolls*), *Middle Earth Project* (based on Tolkien’s works), *When the World Stopped Making Sense* (set in the Dark Ages), and *Witcher Kings* (based on Sapkowski’s novels and CD Projekt Red’s games). Paradox encourages modding and regularly updated the game to make it easier, with guides on the *Crusader Kings II* wiki.
A demo released on February 4, 2012, offered four playable characters over 20 years. The marketing campaign included light comedy videos on the Seven Deadly Sins. Built on the Clausewitz Engine, the game received generally positive reviews, with a Metacritic score of 82.
- Developer
- Paradox Development Studio
- Publisher
- Paradox Interactive
- Release date
- February 14, 2012
- Setting
- Middle Ages, from 1066 to 1453
- Playable date range
- September 15, 1066 to December 31, 1337
- Metacritic score
- 82
- Copies sold by september 2014
- over 1 million
Lore & Background
Crusader Kings II is a grand strategy video game in which the player controls a medieval dynasty from 1066, the Norman Conquest, to 1453, the Fall of Constantinople. Players can start at any date between September 15, 1066, and December 31, 1337. Through strategic use of war, marriages, and assassinations, players work to achieve success for their dynasty. Success is defined solely by the player, with the in-game objective being to obtain as many prestige and piety points as possible to surpass historically relevant European dynasties in a prestige ranking system, the three most prestigious being the Capetian, the Rurikid, and the Habsburg dynasties. The game ends when the player's current character dies without an heir, when all landed titles of count rank or above are stripped from the player's dynasty, or when the game reaches its end in 1453.
Reader's Guide
Crusader Kings II is notable for attracting a wider audience than Paradox's previous games, contributing to the growth of the company. On October 18, 2019, the base game, excluding its downloadable content, became free to play. The game employs a genetics and education system through which children inherit traits, culture, religion, and skills from parents and guardians, adding strategic depth to marriages. The game depicts or mentions numerous historical figures, including William the Conqueror, Charlemagne, Genghis Khan, and Saladin. A demo was released on February 4, 2012, featuring four playable characters over a 20-year span. The game was met with generally positive reviews, attaining a Metascore of 82 at Metacritic. By September 2014, Crusader Kings II had sold more than 1 million copies, with expansion pack and DLC sales totaling over 7 million units, making it Paradox's most successful release prior to Europa Universalis IV. The game was played by an average of 12,500 players every day, with an average playtime of 99 hours per player. Third-party mods are available, with data from April 23, 2017, showing at least 42% of users had activated at least one mod. Popular total conversion mods include A Game of Thrones, After the End, Elder Kings, and Middle Earth Project. A sequel, Crusader Kings III, was released on September 1, 2020.
Did You Know?
- The base game became free to play on October 18, 2019, excluding downloadable content.
- By September 2014, Crusader Kings II had sold over 1 million copies, with DLC sales totaling over 7 million units.
- Data from April 23, 2017, showed that at least 42% of users had activated at least one mod.
- The game features a genetics and education system where children inherit traits from parents and guardians.
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