Prison Architect 2 indefinitely delayed only weeks before planned release

Prison Architect 2, the prison management sim published by Paradox Interactive and developed by Double Eleven and Kokku, has been hit with a sudden last-minute delay only weeks before a planned September 2024 release. This is the second delay the game has seen shortly before a release date, with the game’s launch having been pushed to September less than a month before its intended May 7th 2024 release.

The development team explains this second delay in a blog post on the Paradox Interactive’s website. The team writes that “we will not release Prison Architect 2 on September 3rd because we need more time to improve both the game’s performance and its content“, citing internal reviews and beta test groups which have highlighted important areas of required improvement in both content and performance.

Unlike with the previous delay, Prison Architect 2 does not have a new release date. The developers note in the blog post that “we can’t commit to a new release date as we need to re-assess the scope of the work needed to be done before the game is release-ready“. The team will be limiting its communication while it works towards a more definite release date. Notably. all preorders on all platforms will be refunded, and any items which were preorder-exclusive will be added to the base game.

The troubled development of Prison Architect 2 comes after several challenging years for publisher Paradox Interactive. From The Lamplighter’s League underperforming and its developer cutting ties with the publisher to the recent cancellation of its The Sims-like title Life By You, Prison Architect 2 being stuck in development hell after having committed to multiple release dates is not a good look. Hopefully the extra few months will be enough time for Double Eleven and Kokku to put the required finishing touches on Prison Architect 2 and enable the game to release in an appropriate state.