Paradox Interactive Acquires Strategy Developer AGEOD

[PhilThib]

[color="DarkRed"][SIZE="4"]Paradox Interactive Acquires Strategy Developer AGEOD[/size][/color]

NEW YORK – December 17, 2009 - Paradox Interactive, the leading PC strategy publisher, announced today that it has acquired full ownership of AGE Studio, parent company of renowned French development studio AGEOD. This acquisition merges two titans of the strategy gaming community and adds a variety of upcoming titles to the expanding Paradox Interactive portfolio.
“We have played and enjoyed AGEOD’s titles for years and greatly respect what they have achieved as a development studio. We see this acquisition as an opportunity to make AGEOD’s titles accessible to a wider audience on the global market,” said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive.
“AGEOD will continue to operate as a self-run partner studio, with its own line of products based on the AGE-engine and its own development team while Paradox will assist with our publishing resources and networks,” Wester continued.

“This alliance will allow AGEOD to expand our audience and availability via Paradox’s worldwide network as well as obtain skills and expertise that our limited means prevented us to achieve on our own,” Philippe Thibaut, lead game designer and co-founder of AGEOD noted. “We will concentrate on our core expertise of product development and be able to offer our customers brand new strategy games as early as 2010, with the same level of care and dedication that we have for the past 5 years.”

Philippe Malacher, Head of Development and co-founder of AGEOD, added, “We are confident that, ultimately, all strategy game customers will be the primary beneficiaries of this partnership that will allow us to build more extensively on our past successes and on Paradox’s invaluable preponderance on the marketplace.”
The first title to release under this new alliance is Rise of Prussia, scheduled for a Q1, 2010 release. For more information, please visit http://www.ParadoxPlaza.com, follow us on twitter @pdxinteractive.com or join the commununity on our facebook fan page.

About Paradox Interactive
Since 1999, Paradox Interactive has been a leading global developer and publisher of PC-based strategy games. World-renowned for its strategy catalog, the company holds a particularly strong presence in the United States and Europe. Its steadily-growing portfolio includes originally developed titles such as the critically acclaimed Europa Universalis and the Hearts of Iron franchises, as well as publishing titles such as the Elven Legacy series, Mount&Blade and Majesty 2. Paradox stands poised to make an explosive entry onto consoles during 2010 with the release of Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West. For more information, please visit http://www.paradoxplaza.com and follow @pdxinteractive on Twitter.

About AGEOD
AGEOD was founded in 2005 by industry veterans Philippe THIBAUT (orignal designer of historical strategy games Europa Universalis™, Pax Romana™ ,Great Invasions™ and World War One™) and Philippe MALACHER (creator of the AGE engine). Since its start, AGEOD has released the famous turn-based strategy titles Birth of America™, AGEOD's American Civil War™, Napoleon's Campaigns™, War in America™ and, on a different engine World War One, 1914-1918™. AGEOD's main goal is to offer players original cultural and gaming creations based on precise and serious research, with first emphasis placed on historical strategy games with original and innovative features. http://www.ageod.com

[Rafiki]

Personally, I think this is very good news. Congrats to both AGEOD and Paradox!

[DarthMath]

I think such a thing is almost unavoidable in the computer wargame's industry as it was in the classic wargame's one in the precedent decade.
Anyway, I hope it will improve the mastery ( if it's possible !! ) of our favorite developpers and that us customers will feel the benefit of such an alliance.
Continue to bring us good games !! Long Live Ageod !!

[Lafrite]

Tout ce qui améliore les chances de survie du studio ne sont que bonnes nouvelles

[wosung]

Wow, all the power to you!

This move surley helps Ageod to reach more customers and to get more marketing. It might free more of your time for making good games. Last not least, it might provide some good people with some financial security.

But it's always a sad thing when the market cuts down diversity.

I always thought Ageod's service to be better than that of Paradox.

Without wanting to bash Paradox or their forumites - I'm also active over there and also playing their games: Lately, it seems to me, they are fixed a little too much on marketing and not enough on service over there. Admittetly, they are often overwhelmed by masses of non-substantial posts.

So let's hope the best!

Regards

P.S.: So what about the Ageod forum? Will it close down?

[Carnium]

Now the posts about "peaceful" co-existence of Paradox and AGEOD games finally make sense

[Generalisimo]

Wow, all the power to you!

This move surley helps Ageod to reach more customers and to get more marketing. It might free more of your time for making good games. Last not least, it might provide some good people with some financial security.

But it's always a sad thing when the market cuts down diversity.

I always thought Ageod's service to be better than that of Paradox.

Without wanting to bash Paradox or their forumites - I'm also active over there and also playing their games: Lately, it seems to me, they are fixed a little too much on marketing and not enough on service over there. Admittetly, they are often overwhelmed by masses of non-substantial posts.

So let's hope the best!

Regards

P.S.: So what about the Ageod forum? Will it close down?

REread the announcement...

[...]
“AGEOD will continue to operate as a self-run partner studio, with its own line of products based on the AGE-engine and its own development team while Paradox will assist with our publishing resources and networks,”
[...]

[PhilThib]

As mentionned in the announcement, Ageod will remain mostly self-run...and the guys in charge are still the same, so we should keep our level of service and quality as before the move.

Thanks for your support

[Generalisimo]

Now the posts about "peaceful" co-existence of Paradox and AGEOD games finally make sense

[boudi]

I'm looking my calendar : however it's not the first of april ?

Ageod embrace the dark side of the Force.

[Rafiki]

Now the posts about "peaceful" co-existence of Paradox and AGEOD games finally make sense

AGEOD and Paradox have always enjoyed a peaceful co-existence, AFAIK, e.g. exemplified by Gamersgate selling AGEOD games, dating back to BoA

[Syt]

My only comment:

[Pocus]

My only comment:

Don't be sad, this is not the end of AGEOD, or even worse its "corruption" as a few people want to believe. This is necessary so that our (great ) games can be known to much more gamers than before.

As we said, AGEOD continues its usual business, same people, same game engine...

[caranorn]

Must say I ain't to happy either. For quite some time I was a staunch supporter of Paradox, but the past few years I became very dissatisfied and very reluctant to buy any of their products...

On the other hand, if Ageod can continue to be run separately at its current level of quality this could be good by indeed (slightly) increasing the customer base. I expect distribution would also become much easier...

I hope there will be no consequences (lay offs) for personnel at Ageod...

[Lafrite]

I hope they were not paid with bluecoins

[Jarkko]

I think this is a good move. AGEOD games will recieve (if I guess right) the marketing power of Paradox and thus AGEOD games will be known to more people. I presume Paradox believes they can improve the sales of AGEOD games, I don't think they'd be buying a company they don't believe in If the move also helps AGEOD to focus their forces on game-design, then I certainly believe it is a win-win situation

[Generalisimo]

I hope they were not paid with bluecoins

[twitter]

Do Paradox DRM? No having to pay for mini-expansions every few months to get the whole game? IF this does not happen then I will continue to be a solid customer. I hope that Paradox doesn't get their grimy hands on this wonderful customer service!

[JackoWords]

Fabulous, and congratulations!

[Korrigan]

As a former AGEOD partner and a continuous AGEOD games fan, I think this is a good news.

This will allow AGEOD to resist in a very difficult economic period, AGEOD games will benefit from PARADOX distribution network while keeping its own game design touch.

And finally a company whose CEO says he is playing and enjoying AGEOD games is a company worth to speak with.

[dooya]

Congratulations to both AGEOD and Paradox!

[Beren]

Very sad news for me, PARADOX began in this world very strong, but this recent years have fallen to death for me. I hope AGEOD can still work without any paradox ideas or orders...

[Jojo le Gouffy]

Bon d'un côté je me dis PhilThib connait Paradox et Paradox connait PhilThib.
D'un autre je me demande s'il n'y a pas des conflits d'intérêts du genre concurrence entre deux jeux (exemple Victoria 2 et VGN).
Cependant on peut envisager qu'Ageod soit l'aspect pointu du wargame tandis que Paradox miserait sur une dimension plus grand public...
Enfin, je dis cela...

[W.Barksdale]

Great news guys! This will get the name circulating in new gaming circles. I have all confidence this will only increase the quality both of your games and the service you provide. Congratulations!

[Franciscus]

Wow, so many emotions ! We had a moderate earthquake last night in Portugal and now this...
Mixed feelings. This can not be only a marketing/distribution partnership. That already existed, as Ageod's games were alredy sold via gamersgate. The title of the news is self explanatory, I think:

[color="DarkRed"][SIZE="4"]Paradox Interactive Acquires Strategy Developer AGEOD[/size][/color]

.
...
And history tells us that in gaming business (and in other business, as well), the rule when a company is acquired by other, is that she sooner or later loses her identity. Let's hope this will be an exception
The real question is who will be making decisions about development, release dates and support. The first real test will be VGN and Victoria. I am afraid that VGN might well be "slightly delayed"... And I sincerely doubt that the level of support and patching that Ageod showed in the past can continue in the future...


Nevertheless, I sincerely hope the best to Ageod's team and will keep supporting them, while they exist as such.

Regards...and Merry Christmas to all.

[Jayavarman]

I am glad to hear this news. I have long been a patron of AGEod, but always felt that they needed a bigger platform from which to launch their games.

Considering the AGE Studio is all the way in France, I am sure they will preserve their autonomy while we benefit from the newly-enabled cross-pollination of ideas, efforts, and expertise.

[hkbhsi]

Must say I ain't to happy either. For quite some time I was a staunch supporter of Paradox, but the past few years I became very dissatisfied and very reluctant to buy any of their products...

On the other hand, if Ageod can continue to be run separately at its current level of quality this could be good by indeed (slightly) increasing the customer base. I expect distribution would also become much easier...

I hope there will be no consequences (lay offs) for personnel at Ageod...

Same for me. Hoping for the best.

[Bleedinbob]

Change is hard sometimes.

I was unsure how I felt about this at first. But what could be better than two of the best strategy game makers merging. Hopefully this will provide better resources to both AGEOD and Paradox.

Congratulations and best wishes!

[vonRocko]

I guess we will have to start registering games to ask questions and all the other crap that you deal with at paradox.You bunch of sellouts.
oops....now that this is a paradox forum I might get banned for such statements.
Was the dismal bug filled release of WW1 practice to get up to paradox' level?

[Greybriar]

Good luck! I hope this works out well for both AGEOD and Paradox.