Paradox Interactive has shared the unfortunate news that they have delayed the release of Prison Architect 2 indefinitely.

Prison Architect 2 had already been delayed a couple times, most recently aiming for 3rd September and with the announcement that the development was being handed over from original studio Double Eleven to new team at Kokku, but even that has been pulled back as they “re-assess the scope of the work needed to be done before the game is release-ready.”

There will be minimal communication about the game’s development through the coming weeks and months, until such a time that Kokku and Paradox feel ready to share something substantial.

Given the form of this delay, all pre-orders are being refunded automatically, though you will be able to request an expedited refund, as detailed in the FAQ.

It’s the latest blow to Paradox’s game line up. Cities: Skylines 2 launched last year to great dissatisfaction from players, with developer Colossal Order having now spent the better part of the year optimising the game and reworking gameplay elements. Last year’s The Lamplighters League also underperformed, and more recently, Paradox cancelled and shut down the studio behind their The Sims competitor, Life By You.

Here’s the Prison Architect 2 statement in full:

We have some difficult news to share: unfortunately, we will not release Prison Architect 2 on September 3rd because we need more time to improve both the game’s performance and its content. Our continuous internal reviews and beta test groups have highlighted areas that we need to focus on more, mainly performance and content, which we need to address before launch to ensure that you, the players, get a good experience in the game. We need to raise the quality a bit more to meet the standards we’d like to achieve with this sequel.

We are confident that the sequel to Prison Architect will be great, and we’re looking forward to showing you all the new ideas brought into it: the switch to 3D, multi-floors, and the new behavior system that all bring a new dimension to the game and open new gameplay possibilities for the players. However, we want to make sure the game lives up to the franchise’s legacy and is released in a state that satisfies both you, our players, and the Prison Architect 2 teams at Kokku and Paradox Interactive.

At this stage, we can’t commit to a new release date as we need to re-assess the scope of the work needed to be done before the game is release-ready. Over the next few months, we will focus on improving the game and building a more robust release timeline. This also means we will be limiting our communication with you all until we have a timeline we feel comfortable with.

With this indefinite delay, preorders on all platforms will be refunded, and the preorder items will be added to the base game.

This decision aligns with our commitment here at Paradox to reviewing and improving the quality of our released content. We are confident that delaying Prison Architect 2 is the best path forward for the game, allowing us more time to deliver a high-quality experience that honors the legacy of Prison Architect.

This is not the announcement we hoped to make, but it is necessary, as we believe this will result in a better game for you. Thank you for your patience, and we’ll see you again soon.

The Prison Architect 2 Team

Source: Paradox

Prison Architect 2, set to launch in September, has been indefinitely delayed, with the studio behind the game also announcing that it will refund customers who pre-ordered the prison building sim. It’s yet another road bump for publisher Paradox Interactive following the cancellation of a Sims-like game in June.

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Paradox Interactive has announced it's parting ways with Prison Architect 2 developer Double Eleven after nine years on the popular management series, saying it "could not find a commercial agreement that worked for both parties".

Double Eleven first became involved with Prison Architect after it was hired to port the game to consoles, and the studio took full control of the series when original developer Introversion Software sold the rights to Paradox in 2019. Since then, it's released ten expansions, culminating in last year's Jungle Pack, and has led development of a fully 3D sequel, Prison Architect 2.

Prison Architect 2 was unveiled in January this year, promising a "greater degree of player freedom, impactful choices, and inmate simulation". It was originally due to launch in March but has since received two delays - once into May and then to September - most recently to address "unexpected issues occuring too often" despite the game being "certified on all platforms".

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Paradox Interactive has announced a two-month delay for Prison Architect 2, with the management sim sequel now set to release on 7th May as developer Double Eleven opts for "extra time to identify more bugs and further optimise the game".

Prison Architect 2 - the sequel to the hugely popular 2015 original from developer Introversion Software (who sold the rights to Paradox in 2019) - was announced back in January, promising a take on the prison management formula reimagined in full 3D.

There was talk of some rather nifty looking multi-floor building, and a new connection system defining and impacting the relationships prisoners had with other inmates. All of that was originally due to launch for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on 26th March, but eager sorts will now need to wait until May following today's delay.

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