Jagex Expands Portfolio with Acquisition of Gamepires, Developer of Scum

Jagex, the renowned creator of RuneScape, has announced the acquisition of Gamepires, a Croatian game development studio known for its open-world survival game, Scum. The move is aimed at empowering Gamepires' team of over 50 developers to prepare Scum for its official 1.0 launch, following its early access release in August 2018. According to Jagex CEO Phil Mansell, "Fostering game communities is at the heart of Jagex's mission, and our shared passion with Gamepires makes them a natural fit for our team." Mansell expressed his admiration for Gamepires' vision, community engagement, and business growth, stating, "With our support and the expertise of our Jagex Partners publishing team, we are confident that together, we can propel Scum to even greater global success." Tomislav Pongrac, Gamepires' Creative Director and co-founder, echoed this sentiment, saying, "Our partnership with Jagex presents a unique opportunity to elevate Scum to new heights, building upon our past achievements and unlocking the game's full potential." This acquisition marks Jagex's second studio purchase, following the acquisition of US-based developer Pipeworks in October. Despite this, Jagex CEO Phil Mansell has clarified that the company is not seeking to aggressively acquire studios, instead focusing on strategic partnerships. In 2021, Jagex achieved record revenues of £125 million, largely driven by the success of RuneScape, which also saw its highest-ever number of paying players.