Jail shake-and-breaker management sim Prison Architect 2 has been indefinitely postponed, months after publisher Paradox parted ways with original creators Double Eleven. Current developers Kokku will apply the extra time “to improve both the game’s performance and its content.” Additionally, Paradox is removing the option to pre-order the game until it has a “solid” release schedule. Existing pre-orders on all platforms will be refunded, and all pre-order-only items will be added to the base game.
Released in 2015 as version 1.0 and developed by Introversion, the original Prison Architect is an venerable RPS favorite. Our own Brendy judged it Bestest Best, with time added for being an “excellent role-playing game” and for being “the only management game that has ever made me feel ashamed.” Introversion sold the rights to Paradox in 2019, who then put Double Eleven in charge of ongoing development.
Announced in January of this year, the sequel both delighted and discouraged Katharine (RPS in the room) with its up-to-date 3D graphics. It was once scheduled for release in March, but was repeatedly delayed. Then, in May, Paradox revealed that they and Double Eleven had failed to “find a commercial arrangement that worked for both parties and have mutually agreed to part ways.” This was after the game had passed certification on all platforms. And yet, it seems there is still a lot of work to be done.
“At this stage, we are unable to provide a new release date as we need to reassess the scope of work that needs to be done before the game is ready for release,” a Paradox representative said. explained in today’s forum post“For the next few months, we’ll be focusing on improving the game and building a more solid release schedule. This also means that we’ll be limiting our communication with all of you until we find a schedule that we’re comfortable with.”
The post includes an FAQ that goes into a bit more detail about what needs to be polished. “Prison Architect is a game with deep systems that interact with each other, and that’s something we want to carry over into the sequel, Prison Architect 2,” it reads. “Having these systems in the game also means that a small change in one area will also affect one or more other areas, which we then have to improve. Improving performance has proven to be a task that will take some time.”
Judging by Brenda’s May preview, Prison Architect 2’s problems are both more obvious and more fundamental than a few broken systems that suck up the frame rate. “Thematically and mechanically, Prison Architect is about control,” he wrote. “It’s about how little people’s lives are managed to a tragicomically draconian degree. But if this series is all about being an overbearing lunatic responsible for every little detail, does the 3D camera complement that sense of jealous control? Not much for me. If anything, the original’s 2D overhead view allowed for more information to be analyzed quickly.”
Paradox’s post notes that the announcement of the delay “is in line with our commitment here at Paradox to review and improve the quality of our published content.” This may be a reference to CEO Fredrik Wester’s admission last month that publishers “have made poor decisions on several projects, especially outside of our core, and that needs to change.” Paradox’s recent actions include shutting down Tectonic, developers Life By You, washing its hands of Harebrained Schemes following the disastrous sale of Lamplighters League and the handover of the infamously troubled Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 to The Chinese Room after years of development under Hardsuit Labs, Prison Architect 2 has only been in the public eye for a few months – let’s hope it doesn’t end up in a similar purgatorial state.
