Swedish strategy-dominant publisher Paradox Interactive have today confirmed that they are in the process of fully acquiring Seattle-based developer Harebrained Schemes. The studio is best known for the acclaimed Shadowrun series as well as other titles such as Necropolis and the only recently Kickstarter-backed Battletech. Paradox state that Harebrained will now function as an internal studio within the greater Paradox oraganisation, led by its own internal management and creative teams. In coinciding with today’s news as well, Paradox are even giving away free copies of Stellaris to all those who originally backed Battletech on Kickstarter.

"Harebrained Schemes have proven themselves as a world-class studio with a very talented team within a genre where Paradox wants to be present," Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive, explained. "In addition, we really like the studio, the people who run it, and their games; these are all absolute hard criteria for us in any acquisition. Our recent successful launch of Battletech, our first project together, has been a fantastic collaboration, but the possibilities of what we can do together in the long term now that we’ve joined forces -- that’s what has us truly excited."