Released in Alpha on 26th September 2012, Prison Architect is the world’s latest Prison Management sim. Taking its inspiration from Theme Hospital, Dungeon Keeper and Dwarf Fortress, the game is a top down construction and management simulation where the player takes control of the running and building of a maximum security prison. Players are responsible for managing various aspects of their prison including staff, building new cells, finance, and keeping their inmates happy.

The player’s role is of both architect and governor with sandbox micromanagement themes such as choosing where to put lights, drains and how they connect together. Introversion are really keen for the participants in the Alpha to engage with them about the game and players are able to submit suggestions and bugs via their wiki site. The game is currently on version 10 and new versions are released every few weeks providing new features and bug fixes.

Inspired by Kickstarter and Crowd-sourcing Prison Architect is available to purchase over a number of different tiers ranging from a $30 contribution to $500. The extra content in the higher tiers include limited edition goodies, having a character named after you in the game and even having your face immortalised as a prisoner in the game. On launch day there was a $1000 tier which allowed users to customise their own wardens but this sold out within a few hours! All participants in the Alpha, regardless of tier, will be given access to Windows, Mac, Linux, Steam and Vanilla versions as well as a copy of the finished game on it’s release.