Prison Architect passes 250,000 players, hits $8 million in revenue

Prison Architect developer Introversion's paid-alpha model seems to have worked a treat. It's only gone and made them $8 million across some 250,000 players.

In a press release sent to VG247 today, Introversion reminded us that the game first went paid alpha on September 26, 2012 and since then has received regular updates and additions.

The release states, "We are also astonished at how well crowd-funding has worked for us. When we decided to launch Prison Architect in alpha we looked at those who had gone before us and inspired by kickstarter we decided to create our own system which would allow us to retain control over every aspect of the process.

"Our 250,000 units have generated almost $8 million worth of revenue which is a figure we would never have dreamed of achieving. This investment by our alpha customers is enabling us to turn Prison Architect into the game we envisioned without having to make any creative sacrifices or cut any corners - this is the very reason we're proud to be independent."

It's genuinely very impressive.

Shortly after launch, I interviewed Introversion's Mark Morris about the alpha model and development of the game itself, along with a diary of my own prison's creation. Check it out here.

Are you playing Prison Architect? If so, let us know what you think below.