Swedish games firm Paradox Interactive has bought the IP rights for Prison Architect from developer Introversion Software.
The strategy specialist has not said how much it paid for the franchise, but what is apparent is that Paradox hasn't snapped up Introversion.
Why the firm has bought the IP but not the studio is curious; Introversion has had a notoriously rocky life with Prison Architect marking a high-point for the firm. The title saved the studio, as Introversion co-founder Mark Morris (pictured) told PCGamesInsider.biz in 2017.
Introversion selling this property is potentially a short-sighted move, but we also don't know how much cash the company won through this deal.
“Ever since our partnership with Introversion in 2017, the Paradox team has felt that Prison Architect is a natural fit for our catalogue,” said Paradox CEO Ebba Ljungerud.
“Just as we’ve done for other management-strategy games like Cities: Skylines and Surviving Mars, I believe the considerable player base of Prison Architect will be excited to see where we can take the game next, and we’re eager to explore development of potential new games based off of the ‘Architect’ IP. We promise to exercise good behaviour with this cherished title going forward.”
Morris added: “Prison Architect has been an intensely rewarding project for us. Every developer loves seeing their creations come to life, but through Early Access, launch on multiple platforms and over a dozen post-launch content updates, we’ve been building and managing this building-and-management game for nearly a decade. I think we’ve taken Prison Architect just about as far as we can, and we’re all eager to see where a team like Paradox can take it next! This also gives Introversion the chance to work on what we’ve got coming up next -- more on that soon.”
