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Paradox Interactive To Acquire BattleTech Developer Harebrained Schemes
A talented strategy game developer is about to join a prolific strategy publisher. After an impressive run as in independent studio creating memorable games like Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun: Dragonfall, and the recently released BattleTech (read our review here), Harebrained Schemes is being acquired by Paradox Interactive.
Paradox Interactive boasts an impressive stable of successful strategy games, including Stellaris, Crusader Kings, and Europa Universalis. It spent $7.5 million to acquire the studio, which will now operate as a division within the company. Paradox will also pay an additional sum equal to 25 percent of Harebrained Holdings' earnings (before publishing costs) over the next five years. Founders Jordan Weisman and Mitch Gitelman plan to remain with the company.
“Harebrained Schemes have proven themselves as a world-class studio with a very talented team within a genre where Paradox wants to be present,” said Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester in the press release. “In addition, we really like the studio, the people who run it, and their games; these are all absolute hard criteria for us in any acquisition. Our recent successful launch of BattleTech, our first project together, has been a fantastic collaboration, but the possibilities of what we can do together in the long term now that we’ve joined forces — that’s what has us truly excited.”
Our Take
Some acquisitions leave you scratching your head, but this one seems like a natural fit for both companies. Clearly, they had a successful working relationship during the development of BattleTech, so we're excited to see what the companies achieve together moving forward.
Products In This Article
Shadowrun: Hong Kong
Shadowrun: Dragonfall
Shadowrun Returns
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