Paradox Interactive acquires Overlord developers Triumph Studios

Veteran strategy games publisher Paradox Interactive has announced it has acquired Age of Wonders and Overlord developer triumph Studios.

Paradox interactive are behidn the likes of Magicka, Cities: Skylines, Europa Universalis and Crusader Kings, so picking up the people behind Age of Wonders is really a no brainer for them. And with the likes of Magicka under their belt Paradox is a great fit for the guys behind Overlord.

Under the terms of the deal all of the team and management – including Triumph founders Lennart Sas and Arno van Wingerden – will remain with Triumph and all current projects will remain in development and will be published under the Paradox name. CEO of Triumph Lennart Sas revealed that Paradox weren’t the first to approach Triumph with a view to acquisition, but the mindset of the company was what made their minds up for them:

We have been approached by others before with an interest to acquire us, but this is not merely a business transaction for us. This is a liaison with a partner that can help us grow sustainably by ensuring the stability and continuity needed for us to do more of what we do best – develop some of the best turn-based strategy games on the market today. Paradox is a good match for us both culturally and games-wise. They get it. It’s as simple as that, and we are extremely excited about the acquisition.

While Frederik Wester, CEO of Paradox was effusive in his praise for Paradox and foresees a bright future ahead for the partnership.

Triumph Studios is a developer of our own heart. They are world-leading within their niche and have built a large and dedicated community over the years, counting quite a few Paradox employees among their hardcore fans. We have great faith in Lennart, Arno and the Triumph team, and our main focus now is to ensure that they can continue to create their magic under new ownership.

These are heady days for Strategy fans, the genre is more popular than ever, and more and more games are being made than ever before. With people like Paradox and Triump leading the way there’s a really bright future ahead.