Prison Architect 2which was scheduled for release in September, has been postponed indefinitely. The studio behind the game also announced that it will refund customers who had pre-ordered the prison building simulation. This is another setback for publisher Paradox Interactive after the cancellation of a Sims-like game in June.
Originally released on PC in 2012, Prison architect allows players to build and maintain large prisons full of criminals and guards. The original game received updates for years and was even ported to consoles and mobile devices. In 2019, Paradox Interactive bought the franchise from original developers Introversion Software and announced a full 3D sequel in 2024. However, the game was postponed earlier this year.. And now it has been postponed again with no new release date.
On August 2, Paradox and developer Kokku announced that Prison Architect 2 did not arrive on September 3rd. In a post on the official Paradox forumsthe developers explained that they “need more time to improve both the performance and content of the game.”
The studio and publisher also added that they “cannot commit to a new release date or timeframe” as they “reevaluate the amount of work that needs to be done before the game is ready for release.” They also warned that communication between the team and fans will be limited until they feel “more comfortable” showing the game and talking about a release timeline.
As a result of this indefinite delay, Paradox Interactive is refunding all pre-orders on all platforms and has committed to including all previously promised digital pre-order items in the base game.
In a Q&A attached to the announcement, the studio and Paradox emphasized that Prison Architect 2 is not cancelled.
The last years of Paradox were a mess
This assurance was probably included because not so long ago Paradox delayed and then canceled Sims-like game Living with you. Therefore, some players might fear that the prison building game’s sequel will suffer a similar fate.
It also doesn’t help that Paradox has experienced a series of failures and setbacks over the past year. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2first announced in 2019was almost cancelled after several delays and a developer change in 2023. The Lamplighter’s League was an expensive flop. And Cities: Skylines 2 was released in such a bad state that Paradox was forced to halt all DLC plans so the developers could focus on fixing the city-building program.
Even Prison Architect 2 had already had some problems before this delay, as the original studio – Double Eleven – left the project due to financial disagreements with Paradox, which led to the The publisher swaps the team for Kokku in 2024.
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