Jagged Alliance License Transferred, JA3 in the Works

Last we heard of Jagged Alliance, Akella had laid down work on their iteration of the 3rd title and publisher Strategy First was seemingly sitting on it. Apparently, the license has been purchased by bitComposer Games, a German game publisher who recently published S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat and the Void. Work has started Jagged Alliance 3, but it’s unclear if this is by an internal development house or being licensed out. Strategy First is said to have a “Social Network based game” in development.

bitComposer Games Acquires the License for Jagged Alliance

Jagged Alliance 3: a Strategy-Genre Classic Gets Revamped and Re-released

Eschborn/Frankfurt, March 09, 2010: Preliminary development work has started on Jagged Alliance 3, the new episode in the internationally successful Jagged Alliance series. The German publisher bitComposer Games has secured the full rights to the license from Strategy First, and will publish this famous strategy brand with roleplay elements worldwide. The aim is to preserve the popular basic concept of the previous versions and place it in a contemporary setting. A specific release date for Jagged Alliance 3 has not yet been confirmed, but a 2011 release is anticipated.

“Although Jagged Alliance 2 was published over ten years ago now, the game still represents a milestone in the genre and boasts a huge following of loyal fans,” says Wolfgang Duhr, Managing Director of bitComposer Games. “We are delighted to acquire this classic game for bitComposer, and want to continue the success of the previous titles in the series, while giving the new version a contemporary look, bearing in mind the strong features of its predecessors”.

The Jagged Alliance series has received numerous national and international awards since its first appearance in 1994. The second part in particular, Jagged Alliance 2, released in 1999, won a host of accolades and gained the highest plaudits from the global games media. Jagged Alliance 3 will build on the strengths of its famous predecessors and, set against the backdrop of a gripping story, will again deliver the much-loved combo of turn-based strategy gameplay with roleplay elements.

Recently there has been conflicting information about further planned releases in the Jagged Alliance series. Apart from a Social Network based game under development by Strategy First, the acquisition of the full IP rights by bitComposer Games will now serve to clarify the situation and will lay the foundations for future development work under the license.