THQ Dissolved and Sold Off In Pieces
Thursday, January 24th, 2013 at 10:37 am Category: News, Video GamesWhen I played through Darksiders II I got the feeling that this game was do or die for THQ. I didn’t realize how true that thought really was until yesterday. After a sizeable investment from overseas was blocked by an injunction from current THQ investors, there was no other option. THQ’s Studios and IP’s were auctioned off to the highest bidder with most items being sold. Except for Vigil Games and Darksider’s II which remains unowned.
In a letter to staff the CEO announced that employees would no longer work for THQ and wished them all luck in the “next steps of their careers.”
Here’s a breakdown of the sale:
- Koch Media bought Volition Games (Red Faction, Saints Row) and the Metro IP. For about 27 million.
- Sega was able to acquire Relic Games (Warhammer 40k, Company of Heroes) for about 26 million
- 2K purchased the Evolve I.P for about 10.9 million
- Ubisoft acquired THQ Montreal and the South Park game for 2.9 million
- Crytek purchased Homefront for an easy $554,000
The most depressing news to me is that Vigil Games and Darksiders II remain unclaimed. Kotaku is reporting today that Platinum Games head Atsushi Inaba tweeted that he would like to acquire Darksiders on the cheap.
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| Translation Via Kotaku-“In THQ’s studio and IP selling off auction, Darksiders is unsold? [We] wanna buy it…on the cheap…” |
If the maker of Bayonetta, Viewtiful Joe, and the upcoming Wonderful 101 were to acquire the I.P. I could imagine great things happening. Playing a more combo-integrated Strife in Darksiders III, or even the 4 player coop discussed by THQ staffers earlier this week would be phenomenal!
This is an end of an era for gaming, and sadly I don’t think THQ will be the last to go. Good luck to the staff members of THQ and it’s partner studios, and R.I.P.
Responses to “THQ Dissolved and Sold Off In Pieces”
Was there any word on who picked up the WWE franchise?
Haven’t seen anything solid, speculation is EA but not 100%
I’m just completely dumbfounded no one picked up Sigil and Darksiders. Sure, the games in the franchise weren’t perfect, but they were very well made and a ton of fun.
I wasn’t a fan of the first Darksiders so I didn’t play the second. But the popularity is high enough that I’m shocked it wasn’t picked up. Where was Ubisoft on that one? They’d be a good fit and they certainly didn’t blow their wad on South Park for $3 million – which is surprisingly cheap for a practically finished game with a built-in audience.
The second Darksiders improved on the first one many times over. Better action, puzzles and gameplay mixed with a loot system you’d find in Diablo or Borderlands.
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