14 DAY TRIAL // With the GDC conference in Leipzig being the focal point of gamers' interest at the moment, Paradox Interactive decided that it was the moment to present its most recent project. With a host of very important franchises like Europa Universalis and Victoria under its belt, the developer took the decision to revive one of its oldest franchises, Heart of Iron, announcing that a third game was in development.
Paradox Interactive had already announced that it was planning a new project, called Mayhem, and fans speculated which of the series was going to be involved. There were some rumors that Victoria was getting a sequel, but the popularity of the Hearts of Iron franchise eventually won the day.
Hearts of Iron 2 is a very engrossing and detailed game. It has incredible depth, allowing the player to manage the politics, the economics and the military aspects of leading any country in the world through the huge conflict that was World War II. The game was finely balanced between being a full historical simulation, with the major events in the years of the war implemented in the game, and a sand box game, with the outcome of the war being entirely up to the decisions the player made.
The press release from Paradox says that "Hearts of Iron 3 will follow that tradition closely while focusing on satisfying veteran players through a multitude of brand new features and systems, including a huge map with more than 10,000 provinces".
Johan Andersson, who is the head of development at Paradox Interactive, said that "It's clear this is a game that fans of our titles have been eagerly anticipating. Before revealing the project, our upcoming announcement online forum received more than 14,000 page views in less than 24 hours with a third installment of Hearts of Iron seemingly being at the top of everyone's wish list".
Hearts of Iron 3 is just entering development and Paradox says that is plans to release the game in the third quarter of 2009.