You have to look at the entire war and take decisions in a multiple of aspects to reach victory - this is truly high level war planning, including production lines, technological advances, securing strategic resources and, of course, making those large armored drives through the plains of Europe. Losing small battles is utterly insignificant to the larger campaign. But in Hearts of Iron IV, you are dealing with the bigger picture and a very high level of strategic planning this is not a pure old-fashioned wargame.

The World War II theme does mean that there is a lot greater focus on the preparation for war, your industrial output and military doctrines and equipment. Hearts of Iron is, like most Paradox Development Studio titles, a grand strategy game in an open sandbox. Every action you take has the potential to tip the balance of power in your favor, forever altering the political and ideological landscape. Hearts of Iron IV is the wargame where a high level of strategic and military planning is needed for you to secure victory. And it all comes down to how well you, as a player, can navigate your ship of state - that is your supreme weapon. The Hearts of Iron series is about taking control of your nation of choice in the years around World War II (1936 to 1948) and leading it to victory.

So, before we dig into what makes Hearts of Iron IV different and special, let me talk a bit about what the series is all about so that everyone has some grounding. In light of our recent successes like Crusader Kings II and Europa Universalis IV, I realize that we probably have a lot of new faces with us - people might not have tried the earlier Hearts of Iron games. We showed off an early pre-alpha build of Hearts of Iron IV at ParadoxCon in Miami last month, so some information is already out there. It has almost been five years since the release of Hearts of Iron III, and though we released a few expansion packs during this time, it is really exciting to finally get the chance to do a proper sequel! Prepare to lead your armies, upgrade your equipment and deal in subtle (or not so subtle!) diplomacy once again! My name is Dan Lind and I´m the project lead for Hearts of Iron IV, an updated and improved version of Paradox Development Studio’s World War II themed grand-strategy game. Welcome to the first development diary for Hearts of Iron IV!

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