Jagex has announced that they have acquired Pipeworks Studios. This acquisition is part of Jagex’s commitment to expanding its team across North America. For those who don’t know, Jagex is the studio that has built its reputation with the RuneScape franchise. Needless to say, this acquisition is kind of a big deal.
Jagex’s acquisition follows a strong period of growth for the company. Since the company has managed to establish itself as a leader in community-driven games after five years of record games-as-a-service revenues, a series of third-party publishing deals, and its highest ever RuneScape membership numbers. They also were acquired by The Carlyle Group during that time.
Jagex CEO Phil Mansell said the following in a Press Release:
We are delighted to welcome Pipeworks into the Jagex Family. Pipeworks presents an incredible opportunity to bring onboard world-class game development talent.
The studio brings elite-level game development expertise, specifically in AAA games-as-a-service, with an exemplary track record of collaborations with the world’s best game creators. Lindsay (CEO of Pipeworks) and his team have been running a successful and profitable group for many years, and we look forward to working together to publish Pipeworks’ developed IP and accelerate its growth.
So, what’s Pipeworks Studios? This company, founded in 1999, has built a reputation as a global force in gaming and advanced technology solutions for both established and emerging IPs. The team, which constitutes over 200 employees, has helped establish key franchises for partners such as EA Sports, Wizards of the Coast, Activision, Genvid, MetaTeq, and more.
The studio is known for helping in the development of games such as the Devil May Cry HD Collection, Terraria, SoccerDie, and some Nintendo Wii TV-show themed video games such as Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!. The acquisition by Jagex follows in line with the Carlyle Group’s vision and they seem to fully be on board with this as well.
Following the acquisition, Pipeworks will continue its successful independent business model of developing and co-developing games with publishing partners and clients around the world. However, they will do so under the Jagex umbrella. The terms of this transaction were not disclosed. Aream & Co. acted as Sumo Group’s exclusive financial advisor, and Allen & Overy as its legal advisor, and Linklaters acted as legal advisor to Jagex.
RuneScape is currently available on PC.
