As I suggested they would when setting Crusader Kings II permanently free (but not the DLC), Paradox Interactive have announced Crusader Kings III.

"Crusader Kings III is a grand medieval simulator where you are free to live out any plausible ruler fantasy that we could think of - but not without challenge." says Henrik Fåhraeus, the Game Director. "Seeing its predecessor explode in popularity was very satisfying, especially considering that user friendliness was never our primary goal. Now we have a chance to address an even larger audience."

Check out the official announcement trailer below:

Feature Highlight:

Shape Your Dynasty : Guide unique characters through history, choosing lifestyles best suited to their personalities and your ambitions.

: Guide unique characters through history, choosing lifestyles best suited to their personalities and your ambitions. Rewrite Medieval History : Dynasties will change and adapt to changes in family and politics, and religious beliefs are more firmly under your control.

: Dynasties will change and adapt to changes in family and politics, and religious beliefs are more firmly under your control. Build a Mighty Kingdom : Use your vassals’ fear of you as a weapon or call on familial obligations to persuade reluctant relatives to submit.

: Use your vassals’ fear of you as a weapon or call on familial obligations to persuade reluctant relatives to submit. Experience High Drama : Stranger than fiction stories leap off the screen, as characters plot against you and events push you to extremes.

: Stranger than fiction stories leap off the screen, as characters plot against you and events push you to extremes. Learn as You Go : Guided advice to help newcomers navigate a rich medieval world. In-game suggestions tip you off to paths you might not have considered.

: Guided advice to help newcomers navigate a rich medieval world. In-game suggestions tip you off to paths you might not have considered. The Usual Crusader Kings Fun: Keep a stubborn council in line, scheme against your overbearing uncle or marry the rich duchy…oops, I mean pious duke or duchess of your dreams.

Since CK II is quite old now, of course CK III is going to be a lot prettier. They've confirmed it will have new 3D character models and a much more detailed world map. Not only that, it should also be a lot more welcoming to new players so if you found the previous game a bit too intimidating you're hopefully going to enjoy this one.

Once again it seems Paradox Interactive and Paradox Development Studio will be supporting Linux too. It already has a Linux system requirements section ready to be filled out on Steam, plus SteamDB clearly shows Linux was added right away to the list of platforms. Even their own first-party store has a Linux icon, however I'm waiting for an absolute 100% confirmation on that at the moment, will update when they reply.

They will be giving out more details on Crusader Kings III over the next few months. Hopefully it won't come out half-baked like Imperator did but they're supporting it well to get it into a good state.

If you wish to follow it, the Steam store page is already up. You can also now get Crusader Kings II free to keep on Steam.