I'm seriously considering getting it at or near launch (of course I'm willing to wait at least a little bit to hear if it works, is good, etc.) but not if it's going to be obnoxious and woke. I know they were at least talking about "heterosexuality not being the default" or whatever, which definitely isn't a good sign.
What have you guys heard?
That plus the Deus Vult removal snafus are indeed rather worrying signs. However, those were largely the result of presstitutes trying to stir shit up. Reading the dev diaries I didnt notice too many red flags. I think PDX know their customer base(at least what fraction of it always plays Imperium of man in stellaris or Norse reformation in CK2) and are trying to not piss it off. So I'm cautioulsy optimistic. Still, I'm waiting for steam reviews(and/or the first Wrongthink shitstorm) before buying.
Deus Vult is still going to be in the game, praise Jesus. But even so, it would be wise to wait until not only the first reviews but also the first few DLCs come out before getting the game - it's still made by Paradox, after all.
So it was indeed "journalists stirring shit". Good, news! Regarding DLCs, I think Imperator was sort of a good lesson to them about how they shouldn't release a game that's too barebones. The DDs seem promising so far.
Wait for steam reviews, 100%, of course.
Personally I'm not sure whether it was just Rock Paper Shotgun making things up or Paradox initially actually preparing to scrap DV, but reversing course when they saw the torrent of outrage from their fanbase. Either way, definitely a positive development.
I will say that if it's the latter case, that bodes well for Paradox learning from the mistakes it made with Imperator. Which would be another pleasant surprise.