US investment firm acquires RuneScape developer Jagex

The American investment company The Carlyle Group acquires RuneScape developer and publisher Jagex. An acquisition amount has not been disclosed. Jagex was owned by another investment company.

According to Jagex, the acquisition will provide additional investment and that money will go towards more R&D and additional content for the RuneScape franchise. Jagex also says it will release new titles to broaden its portfolio and thus appeal to more players. According to the CEO of Jagex, The Carlyle Group wants to accelerate Jagex’s ‘multi-year growth strategy’.

RuneScape is the main title of Jagex. The franchise has been around for twenty years. In 2001, the free mmorpg first came out as a browser game. A standalone version followed in 2016 and Old School RuneScape was released for Android and iOS in 2018. There are 300 million RuneScape accounts, and the game has grossed over $1 billion to date.

Jagex is a British studio headquartered in Cambridge. The company employs more than 450 people. In recent decades, the company has been owned by several investment companies. The Carlyle Group acquires the studio from Macarthur Fortune Holding.

RuneScape