Victoria 3 Gameplay Has Seemingly Been Leaked

Update: The leaked footage has since been removed.

Paradox Interactive is well-known throughout the gaming industry for its engrossing strategy and grand strategy games. Any strategy gaming fan worth their salt knows to always be on the lookout for Paradox Interactive’s upcoming strategy games. This respect in the gaming community is well-earned, for the company has worked tirelessly and for many years to bring us not one, but many premier entries in the larger strategy and grand strategy gaming genre. Among the most noteworthy titles in the genre are Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, and Victoria, all of which have been developed by Paradox.

However, there have been no new iterations in these series for years. The latest was the very well-received  Crusader Kings III which was released in late 2020, and before that was Hearts of Iron IV, another very well-received title that came out in 2016. Europa Universalis also got a new entry in the 2010s in the form of the quite well-received Europa Universalis 4, but the Victoria series has been left out, with the last entry being 2010’s Victoria 2.

Fans of strategy games and the Victoria series were both given hope last year in the form of an announcement trailer that confirmed that the next title in the series, Victoria 3, was in development, but news regarding the gameplay or release date has been scarce or had been until today. Recently, gameplay footage regarding a playable version of Victoria 3 was leaked and has been making rounds online. Popular YouTuber Spudgun, who’s well-known in the strategy gaming community for their many Victoria 2 videos, recently posted a video of them discussing some leaked gameplay footage that they came across featuring Victoria 3.

As Spudgun emphasizes, this is not their recording of the leaked Victoria 3 gameplay, nor have they acquired the build. It is simply a video or compilation of videos that they seemingly found of the leaked playable version for the game. The version, possibly being an early build, is further cemented by the frequent crashes that the game seems to face, a hallmark of a title under development.

With the lack of official news regarding the title, barring the developer diaries on the developer’s forums, this leak is sure to excite longtime Victoria fans. The developer and publisher have, as of yet, not commented in any form, regarding the leak. This may also secretly serve as a boon for the developer. Browsing forums, they can now gather crucial reviews and commentary regarding the current version of the game and make corrections accordingly, removing any features that players dislike or adding some popularly requested ones, ultimately leading to a better game. How they use this opportunity, only time will tell.

Update (April 13, 2022):
Following the propagation of the leaked video obtained by YouTuber Grandpa, it was taken down and is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Paradox Interactive. However, several new leaks and videos have emerged, as posted by Redditor mikegent01 in the GamingLeaksAnd Rumours subreddit, which also points to a tweet with a leaked gameplay video.

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