Hearts of Iron was one of the first games Paradox made, and it's been, ho ho, close to its heart ever since. Having released three expansions for Hearts of Iron III, Paradox today finally announced Hearts of Iron IV. While the WW2 grand strategy series will still be complex as all heck, this time Paradox plans to make the learning curve less terrifying.

"It shouldn't be a chore to play the game... we want the learning curve to be slightly easier," Paradox Development Studio manager Johan Andersson said in announcing the game at a press event today. "Obviously, it won't be as easy to pick up as Candy Crush, but that's a good thing."

"I don't mean dumbing down the game, then you alienate your customer base," he explained.

As ever, Hearts of Iron IV will let players rewrite history as any nation in World War II, from the big hitters to smaller countries simply hoping not to be crushed. They'll control its research, manufacturing, diplomacy, espionage, and, of course, battles, in overwhelming detail.

Hearts of Iron IV is slated to launch in "early 2015" on PC, Mac, and Linux. All Paradox has to show of it for now is some concept art and this teaser trailer: