Jagex buys Pipeworks in first acquisiton and is looking to do more
James Batchelor
Editor-in-Chief
Thursday 21st July 2022
UK-based developer Jagex has acquired long-running US games company Pipeworks Studios.
Situated Eugene, Oregon, Pipeworks was actually acquired just two years ago by Sumo Group for $100 million. The group has now sold the company to Jagex for an undisclosed sum.
And it's Jagex's first ever acquisition.
"That's massive for us," CEO Phil Mansell tells GamesIndustry.biz. "And it means we have a big presence in the US now where we didn't before. It means we've got proper access to the US talent market, and over half our players are in the US so that seems fitting as well."
"Pipeworks has a great team and a great business plan. We're here to sponsor that. We're not going to change what they're doing"
Founded in 1999, Pipeworks has shipped more than 125 games over the years -- a mix of its own IP, such as the popular Prominence Poker, and work-for-hire projects for major publishers such as Electronic Arts and Activision Blizzard, with titles including Madden, Terraria and Zumba Fitness. It has also completed some technical work for companies such as Rival Peak developer Genvid.
The studio employs more than 200 people, adding to Jagex's count of around 470, and is currently focused on AAA games-as-a-service projects.
"This ticks so many boxes for us," Mansell says. "They're people we think we can really work with, they have very similar ways of looking at games-as-a-service, community-driven titles, and they've got an amazing track record."
Crucially, he emphasises that there are no plans to steer Pipeworks away from external projects or its own internal games development purely to focus on Jagex properties -- nor will Jagex be interfering directly with how the studio is run.
Pipewor
Read more on gamesindustry.biz
