It's only in the project phase, though...
Quote, from here: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29543/QA_Paradoxs_Wester_On_Digital_Distribution_Consolidation_DRM_F2P.php
"We're also releasing a service for our gamers. The working name is Paradox Connect. I can't say too much about it because we're going to announce it later, but it's going to allow extra services for the people who actually buy our games.
We're not really a pro-DRM company. We skip DRM for almost all of our titles, so instead we're giving something extra to the people who can prove they actually bought the game. I think that's the best way of fighting piracy. We can speak more about it next time we meet."
-
EDIT: After that superficial interview, it was officially revealed at GamesCom, so here's the news:
http://www.paradoxplaza.com/press/2010/8/gamescom-2010-paradox-interactive-announces-paradox-connect
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?t=493064

So in other words they're cutting content out of their games except for people who jump through whatever authorization hoops they decide to set up. Consider me thoroughly unimpressed.

Anything we say will all be speculation, of course, but it reminds me of Stardock's method. I am not a fan of Stardock's method, though I guess a lot of people are.

Yes.

1)He kinda says the DRM situation is not going to change.
2)He said they would ADD things, which sounds like free DLC, for the owners of their games.
I don't see what is wrong with either of them. PI is not a company which has screwed its customers before and all their paying DLCs add to the already full games. Hell, Rome was the first game I bought a DLC for the first time.
In fact, if there is one company together with Valve, that I would trust (perhaps even more than Valve) that is PI.
They are cool, GG is cool, I don't see anything to worry about.

Hmmm sounds like an integrated feature to me, like GFWL. Nail-biting ensues. I'm still neutral, but Paradox has been a good company so far, and I'm leaning more towards optimistic.
Also: bald Fredrik hooray!

It depends on how they manage it... with Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age it annoys me because it is singleplayer content you will always want in your game for replaying, making it just as much DRM as if you had to activate the game. If it's just continued multiplayer support or convenient patching and community features then it could be cool, more like Stardock's stuff.
DRM the hell out of multiplayer, who cares... just make sure singleplayer works in full 20 years from now when your company is gone. That's my main concern.

agree

I will wait and see before considering good and bad... last time we had similar announcement about "new service instead of DRM" we end up with Ubisoft UPlay...

I am trying to figure what might be offered that would enhance the gaming experience more than the game itself?
If a pirate steals a game and the extra DLC has no bearing on the game itself, then why would they care?
However, if is very much game enhancing then even legitimate customers suffer by having to depend on an internet connection to experience their game to the greatest degree.
It is too bad that publishers feel this way, but I think I can understand not wanting to keep losing money to people that steal their hard work.
I just find it a bit frustrating that honest users have to bear the brunt of restrictions and pirates do not.

Stardock's patches can only be downloaded via Impulse, though - it's not just a convenience. There are some early standalone patches available (like GalCiv 1.2), but as far as I know, they don't release those anymore. So, whatever's on the disc is guaranteed to work down the road, but any post-release work is up in the air.
Brad Wardell gets righteously pissed if you ask him about standalone patches, though to be fair, he gets pissed off pretty easily.

Well if it was the only problem with Stardock games it wouldn't really that much of an issue, you could always download the patch and then backup the game folder... the big issue (for me at least) that Stardock forget to mention, "accidentally" of course, is that as soon as you download a patch an online activation DRM is downloaded and installed with it, so if you change your hardware or try to copy the game install folder to another computer you will be forced to activate the game online.
That's why I personally don't consider Stardock games as being DRM-free, actually I prefer what EA does, the DRM are on the DLC and not on the game or patches. Most DLC are optional, while patches are often not.

Don't all these "real buyers bonus DLC" things get hacked anyway?
I'm not rabidly anti-DRM like some here, but I really don't like the idea of ANOTHER scheme. For me right now the biggest hassle is sthe sheer number of different schemes, each with different effect and risks (and sometimes used all together on the same game).
It makes buying a game more like doing some form of university research project.
See game you want on cheap price -> Click buy
becomes
See game you want on cheap price -> Try to find the DRM the store uses -> Have to ask questions on forums and google -> Try to find the DRM the game uses -> have to ask questions and google -> make sure the particular version and region of the game in question has that combination of DRM -> do research about any possible problems cause by that/those DRM -> probably give up or maybe -> Click buy
Then make accounts for whatever annoying online services are bundled with the game. Then make sure you can save offline.

Sounds a bit like what EA tried with the first Mass Effect. People who registered the game with Bioware were given an extra mission.

True, I guess I viewed patches as only essential for multiplayer, but in some cases that might not be true.
Wardell is a funny guy because he gets a lot of press and loyalty from his pro-consumer stuff, but if you read his comments on their forums he is all about digital sales, DRM and playing a game at the behest of those who created it, not yourself. He is basically the same as Newell at Valve: yay DRM, but make it customer friendly. That's not DRM-free what-so-ever.
This is one reason I don't support Impulse like a lot of other people who are not overly fond of Steam. Direct2Drive actually has some DRM-free games, and their protected games are easy to uh... take care of, should the need arise. I much prefer shopping there.