Crusader Kings III will add same-sex marriage in new update
Developer Paradox said they are "very happy" to implement marriage equality into the Middle Ages
Same-sex marriage will soon be commonplace in the Middle Ages (at least digitally) with an impending update for Crusader Kings III.
The acclaimed grand strategy role-playing game, which tasks players with creating and growing their own alt-history medieval dynasties, had previously allowed same-sex relationships but stopped short of allowing marriages to take place.
Paradox, which developed Crusader Kings III, had justified the omission of same-sex relationships — whether marriage or lover — by pointing to the series’ focus on dynastic succession, Kotaku reports.
As a make good, the developers last year allowed mods to be created to implement “same-sex concubinage” to the game, temporarily satisfying players’ desires for gay relationships. However, marriage remained restricted to opposite sex couples.
That’s now set to change, with Paradox officially implementing same-sex marriage in the game’s upcoming 1.5 update, currently scheduled for Feb. 8.
What’s more, Paradox isn’t merely updating Crusader Kings III to allow mods that implement same-sex marriage, but is instead building the feature into the game as a player-selected option.
“Coming with 1.5 is support for same-sex marriage, not only just in mods either but as a new game rule alongside the Same-Sex relations game rule so you can use it in un-modded games too,” Paradox said in a recent blog post.
It won’t merely be a surface update either, as Paradox said it has “updated a variety of AI logic and interactions and content” to take same-sex marriages into account when playing.
Modders will also have access to same-sex marriages, without having to implement them as a specific rule at the start of a new game, Paradox said.
“This is something that we’re very happy to be able to put into the game and have support in the game rules for unmodded games too,” Paradox added. “[It] is something that a lot of the team and community wanted and we are glad it is finally going to be shipped in 1.5.”
It makes sense for Paradox to abandon historical accuracy in Crusader Kings III — at least in terms of restricting marriage.
After all, this is a game where players can eat the Pope or create a world-dominating religion entirely based around being naked. What’s a little gay marriage sprinkled on top?
The 1.5 update drops Feb. 8 alongside a new Royal Court DLC, which allows players to further customize their royal court — from great artworks to fancier furniture — as well as better shape and adapt the culture of their realm.
Crusader Kings III is currently available on PC and will launch on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X on March 29.
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