Johan Andersson, studio manager of Paradox Development Studio, has told IncGamers that there are “several larger expansions” planned for grand strategy title Europa Universalis IV. The first of these is scheduled for release before the end of 2013 and is said to be “roughly” the same size and scope as ‘The Old Gods’ from Crusader Kings II.

Precisely what that add-on contains is not yet known, and Andersson says that later expansions are not yet set in stone either. “We keep it very open now because a lot comes down to what our audience requests and what we believe can be created to enhance the game,” he says.

You can probably rule out some of the more absurd alt-history DLC like ‘Sunset Invasion,’ however. When asked about the mysterious dinosaur/UFO art files found in Europa Universalis IV, Andersson confirms that those were “a developer in-joke.”

“Europa Universalis IV will always be a historical strategy game. We might look to explore alternate history for the game, but we will most likely focus on plausible alternate history,” he adds.

In the more immediate future, the game will be getting further patches. Patch 1.3 will “hopefully” be released later this month or in early November. This, says Andersson, “will include improvements for the AI, balance the game even further and handle some of the requests from our gamers.”

IncGamers will be publishing the full interview, discussing the breakthrough successes of Crusader Kings II and Europa Universalis IV, in the near future.