Crusader Kings II Design Is Influenced by A Song of Ice and Fire and Dune

Henrik Fahraeus, the project lead and designer working on Crusader Kings II, reveals that the team has drawn inspiration from medieval history when creating the game.

But Paradox Interactive has also looked to more exotic sources of inspiration, like the fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire from R.R. Marin and the science fiction saga Dune from Frank Herbert.

He tells Gamasutra that, “Of course, we wanted intrigue and vicious backstabbing in Crusader Kings II, since it was so sordidly common in real medieval history. Novels like the A Song of Ice and Fire and Dune books (both of which I love) only reflect reality.”

Crusader Kings II is, on the surface, a grand strategy game concerned with the history of Europe during the Middle Ages, but it relies on character interactions for much of its drama, with players encouraged to plot and betray in order to reach their goals.