The journey of Europa Universalis as a game series wasn’t seamless from the start. Johan Andersson, the lead behind the franchise, revealed that Europa Universalis 2 was developed under strict time constraints. “We came up with numerous game ideas in just a couple of meetings. Our main focus was to get the game out quickly for the US market before Christmas. We needed the funds to keep our team afloat,” he noted.

Despite the pressure, the team’s aspirations weren’t limited. The first game had already sparked modding activity, allowing players to access any nation, leading to the hire of Henrik Fåhraeus, the mod’s creator, as a content designer for the sequel. Today, Fåhraeus holds the position of chief creative officer at Paradox.