The British studio Jagex has changed its owner for the third time. The authors of RuneScape have moved under the leadership of an investment firm Carlyle Group. It is unknown how much the investors paid. But the media suggest that the deal cost at least $530 million. That's how much the studio was bought for last time.
The next takeover of Jagex was confirmed by both the developers themselves and investors from the Carlyle Group. Nevertheless, no one disclosed the terms of the deal.
But the plans for the joint future of both companies were revealed by the managing director of the fund, Michael Wand. According to him, the Carlyle Group is going to actively invest in supporting the key project of the MMORPG studio RuneScape and the development of new franchises.
Separately, the GamesIndustry portal reported that as a result of the transaction, the composition of the Jagex board of directors will change. It will include six Carlyle Group executives at once. Among them are Managing Director of Technology Ashley Evans and Vice President of Acquisitions Tyler Parker. This information was confirmed to the publication by representatives of the British studio.
The last time Jagex was bought was less than a year ago. In April 2020, the asset fell into the hands of the American holding company Macarthur Fortune. He paid $530 million for the authors of RuneScape, in turn buying out the company from the Fukong Interactive group. This company has owned Jagex since July 2016 through the "daughter" of Shanghai Hongtou Network Technology. However, since September 2016, the studio has been controlled by another Chinese firm, Zhongji Holding. You can read more about it here.
Note that the current deal took place against the background of the 20th anniversary of RuneScape. Since its launch in January 2001, the title has grown its user base to 300 million players.