Magicka sequel planned, first game and Vietnam expansion sold 'over expectations'

Arrowhead Studios' first game, Magicka, has been a runaway success. Publisher Paradox Interactive told Joystiq in a recent interview that the game "sold over 30,000 copies in the first 24 hours," and the five dollar Vietnam-themed expansion has moved "well over 100,000" copies since launching in mid-April. Even at just $5, that's plenty of extra ducats.

Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester also confirmed a Magicka sequel on the books, though the folks at Arrowhead are still hard at work on the first game's PvP, set for a free release in the near future. "When we -- and I'm not saying 'if' -- but 'when' we are doing a sequel to this game, it's going to be done on a totally different technology," Wester explained, airing some of his company's grievances with Magicka's game engine, XNA Studios. "It was super buggy at release," he added, speaking to Magicka's less-than-perfect state at launch. "We addressed most of them in the first week, but there are still issues with laptops and a few other things. It's due to the engine that we produced the game on."

As for the oft-requested console version of Magicka, Wester and his company are taking an all-or-nothing approach at this point. "We wanna do XBLA or nothing for the Xbox," Wester matter-of-factly stated when asked about the possibility of the game still heading to Xbox Live Indie Games. Beyond it being a smaller marketplace, he noted, "We looked into that, but it was not as simple as it seemed at first." PlayStation Network, thankfully, is an easier task. "PSN should be a no brainer, and I'm saying should because ... I can't really say anything more at the moment," he coyly added, noting, "I'll let you know as soon as I can say more." ESRB listings discovered earlier this year certainly indicate that something is in the cards.

Further pressing Wester on the console release, I asked if the possibility of a collected retail release for Magicka was possible -- a package with not just Magicka, but also the expansions and updates it's received since launch. Wester laughed at the suggestion, adding, "That's a possibility."

Paradox's future with Arrowhead seems as assured as the possibility of a sequel to Magicka, with Wester hinting at a possible acquisition at some point. "They're not owned by Paradox, yet, at least," he teased before explaining that Arrowhead "are moving their office from the northern part of Sweden to Stockholm [where Paradox is located] to be closer to the core."

As Wester puts it, "The more beer you give these guys, the crazier the ideas get. So I think the sky is the limit for what we can do with this team." A fitting bout of logic, especially given Wester's earlier explanation of how Paradox names its projects. Take note, developers thinking about moving to Sweden -- you'd better be able to handle your booze!