December 16 (SeeNews) - UK-based developer and publisher of community-driven games Jagex said it is acquiring Croatian game development studio Gamepires, best known for its open world survival title, SCUM.
“Jagex, known for the success of its RuneScape franchise, will use its deep expertise in community-driven games and its platform as an international publisher to accelerate SCUM as a leading open world survival title,” the UK company said in a press release on Wednesday.
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Transaction terms were not disclosed.
Founded in 2010, Gamepires is an independent developer based in Zagreb. The company launched SCUM to great critical and community success in 2018, with over 3 million copies sold and a consistent place in Steam’s Top 100 most played games.
Gamepires’ and Jagex’s community-driven approach will enable SCUM to realise its full potential with a multi-platform 1.0 release in the future.
“Partnering with Jagex provides us the opportunity to take SCUM to the next level,” Tomislav Pongrac, creative director and co-founder of Gamepires, said in the press release.
In 2021, global investment firm Carlyle acquired Jagex to support the company’s growth strategy, including mergers and acquisitions.
“We’re pleased to support Jagex with the acquisition of another very talented development team. This further diversifies Jagex’s portfolio of quality development studios creating unique community-focused gaming experiences,” Michael Wand, managing director and co-head of the Carlyle Europe Technology Partners advisory team, said in the press release.