Paradox Interactive acquires strategy developer AGEOD

PC strategy publisher Paradox Interactive has acquired AGE Studio, parent company of French strategy developer AGEOD.

The move merges the two genre leaders and their communities and will be used to make AGEOD titles available to a wider global market, according to Paradox.

"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 Paradox Interactive CEO Fredrik Wester.

"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."

"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," added Philippe Thibaut, lead game designer and co-founder of AGEOD.

"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 five years."

The first title to be released under the new alliance will be Rise of Prussia, which is scheduled for Q1 2010.

AGEOD was founded in 2005 and has released strategy games that include Birth of America, American Civil War and Napoleon's Campaigns.

Strategy specialist developer and publisher Paradox was formed in 1999 and has released a range of titles including the Elven Legacy series and Mount & Blade.