Publisher and developer Paradox Interactive have announced the purchase of its ninth studio, Iceflake Studios today. The Finnish studio Iceflake dates back to 2007 and has worked on various titles. Their upcoming effort is Surviving the Aftermath, a mix of post-apocalypse and strategy management sim. The details for the buyout are somewhat unknown.
Paradox Interactive began life in 1998, and has grown exponentially since then. Having released many games, especially in the grand strategy genre, they’ve definitely built a reputation. The publisher has been doing a ton of work both on their core game franchises and new acquisitions. The publisher previously acquired Harebrained Schemes, the team behind BattleTech. Paradox also has a portfolio of established series like Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron, and Stellaris.
The subsidiary studios under the Paradox that Iceflake Studios will join have quite the pedigree as well. Triumph Studios is known for Age of Wonders and Colossal Order produced Cities: Skylines. There’s also a varied library of rights held by Paradox Interactive, including the rather incredible RPG Pillars of Eternity.
Speaking about the future, the teams at both studios seem excited. According to Paradox their “collaboration with Surviving the Aftermath has been excellent and showed how similar our approach to development is.”
And going into further detail, there’s a lot of hope that fans of Paradox get to enjoy more high-quality and unique games in the future.
“The collaborative efforts we’ve shared thus far with Iceflake have given us all the confidence that this is a natural fit,” said Charlotta Nilsson, COO at Paradox Interactive. “Surviving the Aftermath fits the Paradox portfolio perfectly, and Iceflake has shown themselves to be the kind of partner who can help us create more titles in our core genres. Turning this relationship into a long-term partnership is an easy decision, and we’re eager to share more great games with our audience in the years to come.”
The acquisition of Iceflake Studios was a mutually enthusiastic decision according to Iceflake Co-Founder and Studio Manager Lasse Liljedahl. The smaller studio felt there was much to gain from a partnership with Paradox and that both shared similar goals.
“When we started our discussion with Paradox, we knew that we had a very like-minded approach. Our collaboration with Surviving the Aftermath has been excellent and showed how similar our approach to development is. This new step helps us to focus on our dream of becoming one of the best developers in the game genres we love so much.”
As for Surviving the Aftermath, the release date is still up in the air. The game is planned to launch for $19.99 USD on the Epic Games Store. The game itself is still in Early Access and doesn’t have a firm final release yet. There is a Steam release planned as well.
