In one of their regular update videos, Introversion Software have confirmed that Prison Architect, the incarceration facility buildin’ ‘n’ managin’ game they’ve been working on for well over three years, will release in October. The announcement came as a surprise at the start of their Alpha 35 video, which you can see below.
Regular hosts Producer Mark Morris and Designer Chris Delay also mentioned that the Alpha 36 video, due at the end of September, would be filmed live at British trade show EGX, which runs 24th-27th of that month.
Alpha 35 itself is out now for anyone who’s purchased the Early Access version of Prison Architect and continues to improve the recently implemented gangs feature. Inmates will now claim territory for their gang, carry out orders from their gangboss and run protection rackets for access to the facilities they control. They will also deal in contraband, stealing it from their workplaces or other areas and trading it to fellow inmates for things they need. There’s loads more in the update so check out the video if you’ve got the time.
It’s been a long, long trip for Prison Architect and Introversion, who previously made Darwinia, Uplink and DEFCON to varying degrees of success. This will be their first full release since 2008’s Multiwinia. No specific date was given, but it’s the first time they’ve even tried to put a stamp on a released version of the game, which was a founding member of my “this looks fantastic, I’ll wait for 1.0” list of Early Access games.
If you can’t wait, it’s available on Steam or via Introversion directly now.