Steamforged Announces Acquisition of Iron Kingdoms IP From Privateer Press, Including Warmachine

Steamforged Games has announced they are acquiring the Iron Kingdoms IP from Privateer Press, which includes the beloved miniatures game Warmachine and the Iron Kingdoms roleplaying game line. The acquisition will also include the Formula P3 painting and hobby brand. According to a press release announcing the move, Steamforged and Privateer Press will “work together on design and development” of both Iron Kingdoms and Warmachine moving forward. In a blog post announcing the change, Privateer Press mentioned that they would continue to stay focused on the brand’s development, while utilizing Steamforged’s larger footprint in the tabletop space and its established manufacturing and distribution channels to help grow the game. 

The Iron Kingdoms is a steampunk fantasy world and the signature Warmachine miniatures game featured players controlling armies of large mech-like machines called Warjacks and the warcasters that control them. At its peak, Warmachine rivaled Warhammer 40K in popularity at conventions, although the game floundered in recent years, especially after the release of the game’s fourth edition last year. 

The announcement continues a trend of acquisitions by Steamforged Games, a UK-based tabletop publisher. Steamforged has bought Rivet Wars, Street Masters, and Euthia in recent years, and has also relaunched its own Guild Ball franchise as a print-on-demand title. In addition, Steamforged has also continued to grow its line of RPG products, including the Epic Encounters line of 5E compatible adventures and games, and also maintains a robust portfolio of board games based off of video game franchises, with Dark Souls, Resident Evil, and Horizon Zero Dawn among some of the publisher’s more notable game lines.