UK-based games firm Jagex has been bought once again, this time by investment giant The Carlyle Group.

The news was broken by The Telegraph, with the RuneScape maker confirming that it was in new hands once again.

No figure has been put on the deal, but reports point to Jagex having a higher price tag now than when it was bought by Macarthur Fortune Holding in April 2020.

Prior to this, the company was owned by a Chinese investor known as Shanghai Fukong before selling to Macarthur Fortune Holding for $530 million. 

Growth strategy

“I am so proud that Jagex is teaming up with Carlyle, a prestigious investment group that believes in the potential of Jagex, our vision for growth, and will support us in accelerating our multi-year growth strategy," said Jagex CEO Phil Mansell.

"We will continue to expand our game teams to create and deliver more great content for RuneScape and Old School RuneScape."

The Carlyle Group managing director Patrick McCarter added: “The global video games market is large and growing, and within this, the global massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) sub-sector is particularly attractive.

"We have been impressed with Jagex’s market position, strong track record of revenue and market share growth, as well as the experience and passion of the team.”