Seven years ago, Paradox Interactive redefined grand strategy, emergent storytelling, and alternate history in one incredible game: Crusader Kings II. Today, seven years of expansions, surprises, and amazing stories later, we announced a worthy heir to the throne at PDXCON 2019: Crusader Kings III is coming in 2020. We can’t wait to share a new generation of grand strategy with players everywhere, and we have even more good news: if you’re on Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta) it’ll be included in your subscription.

Crusader Kings III is the sequel to an all-time favorite title from Paradox Development Studio, offering players a realm of medieval conquest, intrigue, and high drama. If you’re new to Crusader Kings, you’re about to discover a world where you can live out your own medieval saga as the leader (and the heirs of that leader) of a grand dynasty. You can determine your own fate — conquer your way across Europe, establish your rule over matters of religion, culture, or simply ensure that your rivals meet with a series of “coincidental” misfortunes. If you’re a long-time veteran of our series, then I think you will be both satisfied and surprised with what we have in store for you in this true, worthy sequel.

It’s an exciting honor to have finally revealed the project we’ve been working on, live on stage at PDXCON 2019 in Berlin, no less! What’s more, we were joined on stage by our friends at Microsoft to reveal that we’re sharing this new journey with PC players worldwide through Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta). Crusader Kings III will be available day one with Xbox Game Pass! If you’ve ever wanted to give our unique brand of grand strategy a try, there’s never been a better opportunity.

Making a sequel that Crusader Kings fans will be satisfied with has been quite a journey. Over the years, CK2 has had several expansions with more content than I can possibly list here. From its humble beginning, we’ve seen the game explode in popularity and take on new challenges, conquering new territories just like an in-game dynasty! Our players have shared countless stories of the treachery, drama, and heartbreak they’ve experienced within Crusader Kings over the years, and with an all-new generation waiting in the wings, I can’t wait to hear about the guile, cunning, and strategy our fans (new and old alike) will attempt. Maybe some of them will even succeed, if they can outsmart the ambitious threats from other kingdoms and from their own councils.

We’re going to have a lot more to share about Crusader Kings III in the coming months, so stay tuned to Xbox Wire and look for us on Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta) in 2020!