Memes featuring the battlecry first became popular in connection to the original game itself, since Paradox actively promoted it. So why the change of heart?ĭeus Vult, writes Rock Paper Shotgun (which, by the way, may want to reconsider using the word “shotgun” in its name, just to be on the safe side of being accused of promoting guns) – is “an 11th century crusader battlecry that has become a vile meme beloved of racists on the internet.”

But the gaming blog Rock Paper Shotgun now writes that Paradox has confirmed the game will be purged of any mention of these two words. In the first installment of the game, Paradox even used the expression “Deus Vult” while promoting an extension pack for Crusader Kings. “Deus Vult” (Latin for “God Wills It”) was a battlecry used by crusaders – and all of these have until recently simply been historical facts, worked into a game entirely focused on the subject. This time, it’s the turn of Sweden’s game developer and publisher Paradox to try their hand at this type of undertaking: the company may reportedly remove the expression “Deus Vult” from its upcoming Crusader Kings 3 strategy game.

As ever, it’s about real-world politics, mixed with attempts to battle against language and memes. Something of a crusade against the Crusades is currently underway in the gaming world – but as is always the case with controversies in that realm, the root of the problem runs quite a bit deeper.

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Deus vult meme origin