March 8 is International Women's Day, and to mark the event the good folks at Paradox Interactive are adding 100 great women from history to Europa Universalis IV by way of free Women in History DLC.
"Would Tenochtitlan have fallen without the language skills of Malinche guiding Cortez?" the Paradox website asks. "Had the reign of Edward IV not been cut short by illness, would England have still ruled the seas, deprived of the strong hand of Elizabeth I?"
Hey, I don't know. That's not my area of expertise. But videogames are, and I don't think it's unfair to say that women have been a wee little bit underrepresented over the years. Paradox Development Studio head Thomas Johansson thinks so, too. "Europa Universalis, admittedly, hasn't done a lot to foreground their contributions," he said. "We thought that International Women's Day was the best time to do a little bit to help balance the scales and introduce our audience to some very interesting people."
The DLC will add 100 new events centering on important women in history, like Queen Elizabeth I, Caterina Sforza, and Sophie Germain, as well as female portraits for all 22 adviser types. Each of the new characters can be generated by event triggers, which will then give players choices about how to use them: Some can assume roles as court advisers, taking the place of their male counterparts, while others can assume leadership roles elsewhere.
The Women in History DLC will go live on March 8 and, as mentioned, will be free. I think that calls for a hearty, "Well done all." And if you're not familiar with Europa Universalis IV, have a look at our review right here. (The short version: It's really good.)
