FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles
Game
Game2010
Patrician IV
Developer Gaming Minds Studios
Patrician IV is a business simulation game developed by Gaming Minds Studios and part of the Patrician series. It is a game simulating trading, piracy, politics and economics. An expansion pack, Rise of a Dynasty, was released in April 2011. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who noted the lack of a multiplayer component that had been present in Patrician III and its generally dry presentation. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
189 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Sep 9, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
39
Rotten
73 positive · 115 negative
95% range 32–46%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 73 | 115 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
1 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mixed
437 of 776 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 189 · most liked firstI played this game on Steam a few years ago without ever creating a login account. Now, I can’t play it unless I have a Patrician IV login. Why do I have to go through all this hassle just to play an older game I already paid for? It’s sucks.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game now requires you to create a Kalypso account, to provide your email address, and for you to agree to Kalypso being able to 'process your data'. When I bought the game with the money that I gave them, I naturally expected to be able to play the game. I did not at that time agree to handing over my personal data, as a an extra unstated payment that they expect to be able to extract from players due to the sunk and mistaken cost of them having bought the game. The game is also crap…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Requires a Kalypso account to play. I'm good.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Who at this god-forsaken company thought it would be a great idea that you need to create an account before playing a single player game. I will never support such practice therefore I will never recommend the game. Not to mention their launcher and registration is buggy as hell. Blah.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →External Launcher by Kalypso Media and old and outdated CD Key policy make this game a hassle to pick up again after the first purchase. Also if you ever loose Access to your Kalypso Account, they are not able to send you an automated passwort reset, but you have to reset via contacting customer support directly. In this state, an enjoyable little game but the surrounding policies of the purchase and the problematic access to the game makes it impossible to recommend this game for the User.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted to play again after ignoring this game for years, but the Kalypso launcher claimed that the "product key is already in use". I could try to contact support if I want, but screw that. This game ain't worth it. Another reason why external launchers are a stupid idea. Edit: Turns out, you can skip past the launcher by scrolling down with your middle mouse button. Truly a functional product. At least I can play it now.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Requires Kalypso launcher to play.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →NIce game, simplified compared to Pat III. But unplayable due to CD key nonsense, you need to register twice, make an account and then HOPE you can play, if unlucky you bought a game you can't start. Steam/Kalypso this is really bad. The GoG version is much, much better.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →♥♥♥♥ this additional step and launcher now. If I wanted to share my email address and data I'd use windows.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game itself? I enjoyed it. The proprietary game launcher, not so much. I can't play the game without giving out an email address and making another account? Nah. Forget that. The game was okay but not good enough that I'm going to be signing up with another company. I hate that and I won't be coming back to this publisher again so long as this is a requirement for their games.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is pretty good, however, I don't recommend it due to new DRM that Kalypso put in on a recent patch. The launcher now requires you to log into their system to play the game. It didn't used to have this. I buy games through steam so I don't have to log into other launchers...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Can't start the game without creating a "Kalypso" Account
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This "StEAM sPEciAL EDitiON" cannot launch by Steam, it must be launch by other kalypso launcher.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'd love to recommend this game, however the failure that is known as the Kalypso Launcher claims my key is used and that I'm not allowed to play a game I bought YEARS AGO. ♥♥♥♥ you Kalypso and ♥♥♥♥ your failure of a launcher.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Explicetely demanding I agree to allow my data used in any way they want?! I DON'T THINK SO
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wow seriously?! They INSIST on stealing my data? Can't recommend a title that engages in this behavior
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game frustrates the living hell out of me. I adored Patrician 3 so much that I was stoked when this was announced and came out, but compared to P3 it's a SEVERE downgrade in literally EVERY aspect. Here's why: Cities: The cities in P3 were so full of colour, full of life and activity. If you click on a citizen they will tell you what problems they have or what they think of you. When you click on the tavern, the church, the town hall etc, you get this little animation of the building…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had such high hopes for this game. I purchased it thinking it was an upgrade from Patrician 3, one of my all time favorite games. I, dear reader, was so sadly mistaken and disheartened at my experience. Upon purchasing I started the game via Steam. Initially it took a while for the Kalypso launcher to launch. It was suspicious, but I soldiered on. Then, I'm confronted with a launcher for Kalypso that is asking me for a CD key. "Well", I thought to myself, "this is quite odd. I don't remember…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game uses an external launcher that requires you to make an account with their service. They give you a CD key which gets tied to that external account... and if you ever lose access to that account (e.g. changing email address), then you are all out of luck because this game won't launch otherwise. The above happened to me and there is no way for me to refund, and the new account I created via their launcher does not let me login to their site to access support. Steer clear of games that…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do not buy this game, it forces you to register at their crappy launcher and then fight against a bunch of stupid steps just to avoid you actually playing. Use your money to buy something better.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game tries to force you to sign up for things that you don't want.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You're required to create a Kalypso account and log into it to play. ♥♥♥♥ off.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Haven't played in a while, had to re-sign up to get SPAMMED by kalypso. Created new account only to for it to say "product key already in use" REALLY friggin Kalypso???? It's a friggin steam game, who uses product keys??? It's not 1986. I bought this game and can't even play it. Junk! I need a refund.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Broken. CD key will work until you uninstall, then it won't work again. Total garbage.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →====================================================== !WARNING! Undisclosed post-release third-party launcher DRM ====================================================== English: (German below/Deutsch darunter) You buy the game on Steam, download it, and launch it. Then an additional game launcher appears and demands an update. Without this update, you cannot really proceed. After the update, the game or launcher requires you to log in with a Kalypso Media account in order to launch the game…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its pretty much impossible to go bankrupt in this title, the economy has been simplified to a boring degree, to everyone contemplating to buy this game, buy patrician III or Patrizier II Gold as its known in Germany. Patrician IV is to me a simple cashgrab and a loveless game compared to its predicessor, so please stay away from this game. Thank you.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Steam Edition? Rip-off since no mention is made on store page of third party Kalypso sign-up REQUIRED to play this!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A complete SNAFU: This requires a third-party Kalypso Launcher to be installed in the system which is no where mentioned on the Steam store page as of this moment (25/06/2023 19:00 hrs GMT) whereas this game was launched in September 2010. Fine, I understand you need my data for analysis and probably to retain me as a customer and market other games of yours; so I went ahead and made an account on Kalypso Launcher, now they will not activate that account. The reason they say is, the account is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it says my product key is already in use, all i did was get a new computer now i cant play this game because of that stupid kalypso crap
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Needs third party installer, with separate account to be playable. Sorry Steam won, go home.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Requires Kalypso launcher to play. And after giving credentials you wait for an authorization email that never comes from their server. Game cannot be played. Scam.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Their mandatory custom launcher locks the game basically. Doesn't send password reset mails. Why do I need an extra accoutn to play a game I bought through steam? I played this 57 hours - can't play it anymore because my "cd key" is already in use because my old account is gone - no password reset mails. Trash
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Decent game, Kalypso Launcher wrecks its
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →having fond memories playing this game. i decided to reinstall the game in my steam Library unfortunately with out my original registration from Kalypso years ago. I cant Play the game I bought. because of outdated product key.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Poor performance and an unnecessary Kalypso launcher.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Catch 22 in the stupid game launcher. Accidentally put wrong email when signing up. Now it says product key is already used and there is no apparent way to fix it. I am so done with bs catch 22s.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is not bad, but the launcher forced signup is unwelcome, so have stopped playing it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It has Kalypso Launcher and you can activate your key only once with one e-mail address. I was deleted my Kalypso account and I can play Port Royale 3 or Tropico 5 without Kalypso account. Why force people to have one more launcher, one more DRM? So, I don't appreciate this. Simply don't get this game even if it's on sale until they remove the additional DRM.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have little to say about this except that it's an online-only single player game that requires you to provide your email address and potentially other personal data to Kalypso before you're permitted to play this game. This is incredibly toxic, anticonsumer practice from Kalypso that cannot be tolerated. Do not buy this game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Forces you to give them all your information
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First a note for those whinging and whining about the dreaded Kalypso launcher. It took me all of 30 seconds to find and complete a "fix" that completely bypasses the launcher forever. No need to create an account, no need for serial numbers, no need to even look at it ever again... and no, it doesn't involve any kind of dodgy crack. You guys have wasted more time than the fix takes to implement by crying here instead of simply typing "bypass Kalypso launcher" into Google. It's shocking how few…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →WHAT A JOKE!!! YOU NEED TO LOG INTO A DIFFERENT SERVER TO PLAY SINGLE PLAYER GAME. RUN AWAY EVEN IF THE GAME IS GREAT THIS PROCESS SHOULD BE SCRAPED. F ING BS
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a one use download. If you get a new computer or your hard drive dies, you're ♥♥♥♥♥♥. Thanks steam. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ thieves.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →don't buy this game. calypso requires you to sign up for their data tracking. and won't start the game without it. all for a game that offers nothing new but worse mechanics, benchmarks that are not clear but are required to do anything but trade. oh, and Steam won't refund your money.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →DO NOT BUY. This game forces you to sign up for an account, then it has the nerve to discontinue your CD key even though you bought the game through Steam. You are burning money if you purchase this, your game will just stop working for who knows why.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Need to register to play, great. no more Calypso product
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →yes ,you have to give personal information to sign up for the ability to play the game which i hate. i have played hundreds of hours of patrician 3 for ten years i love it, but i hate port royal and pat 4 is a port royal game. they tried to make it easier and more pictoral and frankly, completely abandoned their original followers. if you love pat 3 you will not like #4 if you like port royal. go for it! kalyptso destroys franchises, graphics over game play.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →100% offline game, demands online registration for no reason.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had an all AMD PC and an Intel-NVIDIA PC. Game flashed non-stop (i.e. lands, ships, water, buildings pop in and out) on all AMD PC but works fine on Intel-NVIDIA PC.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Making me jump through the key and password on start after having played for hours yesterday made me delete the game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Patrician 3 was one of the very best games I have ever played, except for one thing, it did not have a pause key. This meant that eventually, you ended up with far too many balls in the air to cope with, and the game eventually became too frustrating to continue with. I don't buy games to get frustrated. Patrician 4 finally had an operating pause key which should have solved everything. It was a completely new game with new and interesting features (although I missed some of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →EVERY TIME I TRY TO LOG IN MY GAME THERE IS A WARNING SAING MY PRODUCT KEY IS ALREADY IN USE AND I CANT PLA MY GAME THA I PAYED FOR. THIS IS FRUSTRAITING .
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The base version of Patrician 4 is also a fairly enjoyable time. It's nice to have the improvements from the DLC so i'd strongly recommend picking up that with this. It's more or less the same game but with more content.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The biggest problem with the game is there are no incentives. You can setup a simple trade route from London to Novgorod on day 1 and you already have infinite money generation for the rest of the game. With other games, once you have a lot of money, it enables you to do enjoy other aspects. e.g. in RPG you buy equipment and become powerful, in simulation games, you build stuff that's cool to look at etc. This game though, has nothing, you cannot really use the money to buy anything or build…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Another company that thinks I would give them my data to create an account. Nope. Not gonna happen. I got this game a long time ago in a bundle and I am happy about it because otherwise I also could have thrown my money out of my window.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →cant play on steam says product key is already in use???
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well... I am still waiting for the activation link. Until then... cannot play.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The kalypso launcher just does not work correctly. I have installed and registered the game earlier, but when I now reinstalled it via steam it refuses to log me in saying the key i registered to my account is already used, by the account I'm trying to log in with ...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the same game it has always been. Except it is terrible. The one biggest issue - in the 'combat' part of the game, the game has an auto-aim feature that you cannot switch off. Unfortunately the auto-aim misses most of the time if you fight the smaller ships. I can fire one hundred shots while 'on target', for one hundred complete misses. And : There. Is. Nothing. You. Can. Do. About. It. For this one simple reason, this game is simply rubbish. Total pants rubbish. The only way…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When I try to launch the game I get the message that the cd-key is already in use.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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