The courts have approved the auction results which portioned up THQ's development assets, but one studio and the franchise that put it on the map were notably absent: Vigil Games and Darksiders. It's a long shot, but some murmurs suggest Platinum Games may not let that be the end of their story.
Yesterday, THQ confirmed Vigil received no bids in the auction, and that its employees will be laid off. THQ will continue to seek buyers for its unsold assets as the Chapter 11 process continues, meaning the license is still up for grabs, and will likely go at a fire-sale price if any interested buyers emerge.
Speak of the developer and he shall appear. Platinum Games' executive director and producer Atsushi Inaba tweeted his interest in such a prospect yesterday, as translated by Kotaku:
"In THQ's studio and IP selling off auction, Darksiders is unsold? [We] wanna buy it...on the cheap..."
Cool to see Inaba's interest, though of course it could just be an idle notion. But add in this tweet from Platinum Games writer JP Kellams to Haydn Dalton, Darksiders I and II lead designer, after Dalton pined for making a four-player co-op Darksiders III.
@haydndalton hey man. If anyone is interested in working with/at Platinum let me know how to get ahold of you via DM.January 24, 2013
Vigil Games lead combat designer Ben Cureton expressed immediate interest in the idea.
An interesting picture emerges. Before we let our imaginations run wild with thoughts of Platinum buying the property, hiring up a team of Vigil veterans, and letting the horsemen ride again, let's remember there are a lot of ifs here: Platinum would have to actually acquire the license, for starters, and Inaba made it clear price would be a strong factor in the decision.
Reality aside, do you think Platinum Games would make a good home for the franchise?
