Prison Architect 2 is official, bringing Paradox's jail management sim to 3D

rockpapershotgun.com:

After teasing a 3D sequel when Prison Architect received its final update last May, developers Double Eleven and publishers Paradox Interactive have announced that, yep, Prison Architect 2 is indeed a thing that is happening - and in 3D, no less. Prisons will now have multiple floors to police, as well as a whole new inmate behaviour system to navigate along the way that will feed into gang warfare, escapes and other budding management problems. It's coming out surprisingly soon, too, with its reveal trailer dating it for March 26th.

The devs say that staples from the first game such as breaking up riots and preventing sneaky breakouts will still be very much part and parcel of the Prison Architect 2 experience. In this sequel, however, you'll also need to keep track of who their mates and enemies are through its new behaviour system. Prisoner connections will impact who they hang out with, for example, partner up with, or just straight up try and fight if they come within spitting distance of each other, so you may want to keep certain inmates apart if you notice them forming some less than savoury plots out in the exercise yard.

That could involve, say, moving one prisoner up to bunk on the floor above, as yep, the shift to 3D means your prisons can now expand upwards as well as outwards. In a statement, Double Eleven say they've got "tons of snazzy new tools" coming to let you design the correctional facility of your dreams in Prison Architect 2, which should hopefully satisfy sandbox and career mode players alike. The latter will have a brand new map and multiple prisons to manage, and Paradox say you'll be able to share your prisons with your mates on consoles now, too, thanks to its cross-platform support.

I'm still of two minds about the new 3D art style. I was quite fond of Prison Architect's oblong-shaped ne'er-do-wells and their disembodied Rayman hands in the original game, and the more I think about it, the more it feels like part of the game's visual