Civilization V lead designer Jon Shafer joins Paradox Interactive

Civilization V lead designer Jon Shafer has joined strategy specialist Paradox Interactive. The Swedish studio already has Shafer, who helped design two Civilization IV expansions before taking the lead on the sequel, working on a mystery project as part of the grand strategy dev team.

Paradox has developed something of a name for itself in the recent years thanks to the critical and commercial success of titles like Cities: Skylines, Pillars of Eternity, and Stellaris. It's hoped Shafer's considerable design expertise will allow the company to make more inroads into the strategy market.

"Adding a new designer to our studio is always a significant challenge. Our fans have very high expectations for us based on the games they play -- deep, complex titles with long-lasting, replayable experiences," said Johan Andersson, Paradox's EVP of creative direction

"I’ve known Jon for 15 years now, and I’m excited to have him join us. Jon has the expertise to create more of those experiences, and he shares our core design philosophies; we can’'t wait to share his games with our fans."

As well as working with Paradox, Shafer will also continue developing his personal project, At the Gates, a Kickstarter-funded strategy effort that amassed over $100,000 in pledges.