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  1. Games

Who owns THQ's properties?

Features
By Jason Fanelli published 23 April 2013

The chips have fallen

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

In the aftermath

In the aftermath

The smoke is cleared. While most of THQ's popular assets were sold off several months ago, there were several outstanding companies and franchises that were still up in the air. And now, they've landed. THQ's assets have been sold, and every franchise and studio they controlled now has a new home.

There's a lot to remember about THQ's firesale, a lot of names and a lot of new destinations. We've created this handy guide to remind everyone just who controls what from now on, so you know who to complain to (or thank) the next time a franchise you love has a bad (or great) entry.

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Koch Media

Koch Media

Who they are: Koch Media is better known as Deep Silver, the publishers of the Dead Island series. They also control the RPG franchise Sacred and the PC RTS series X3.

What they got: Volition Entertainment and Saints Row for $22.3 million, rights to the Metro franchise for $5.8 million.

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
Crytek

Crytek

Who they are: Crytek, based in Frankfurt, Germany, focuses mostly on the first-person shooter genre. Notable games include the entire Crysis series and the upcoming free-to-play miltary shooter Warface, which is currently in closed beta.

What they got: Rights to the Homefront franchise for $500,000 (they were developing Homefront 2 at the time of THQ's dismantling), created Crytek USA studio with 35 former Vigil Games employees

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Sega

Sega

Who they are: Most notably the house that Sonic the Hedgehog built, Sega has been making video games since the late 1980s. Through the years they've built a strong library of RTS games with the Total War series.

What they got: Relic Entertainment (Company of Heroes and Warhammer 40,000 franchises) for $26.6 million

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Take-Two Entertainment

Take-Two Entertainment

Who they are: Take-Two is the parent company of many prominent names, including Rockstar Games and 2K Games. Grand Theft Auto, BioShock, Borderlands...all are Take-Two franchises.

What they got: Turtle Rock Studios' "Evolve" project for $10.8 million, rights to the WWE license (original THQ agreement ended, new agreement successfully negotiated)

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Ubisoft

Ubisoft

Who they are: Based in Montreuil, France, Ubisoft is the big-time publisher responsible for AAA names like Splinter Cell, Far Cry, and the wildly popular Assassin's Creed. Their newest franchise, Watch Dogs, is due this fall.

What they got: THQ's Montreal studio for $2.5 million, publishing rights to South Park: The Stick of Truth for $3.2 million (due for release in "calendar year 2013")

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
Gearbox Entertainment

Gearbox Entertainment

Who they are: Gearbox Software, headed by Randy Pitchford, is one of the biggest third-party development houses in gaming. Some of their games are smash hits (Borderlands), while others (Aliens: Colonial Marines) are...not as good.

What they got: Rights to the Homeworld franchise for $1.35 million

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
505 Games

505 Games

Who they are: 505 Games is one of the newer publishers in the gaming industry, having started in 2006. They hold the rights to the Sniper Elite and ARMA franchises, and most recently published indie sensation Terraria on the PS3.

What they got: Rights to Drawn to Life and Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter for $300,000

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Nordic Games

Nordic Games

Who they are: Nordic Games is a name that PC gamers should be plenty familiar with, as they are responsible for franchises such as Painkiller, Spellforce, and Safecracker. They also control The Adventure Company's library of games, including Sam and Max and Broken Sword.

What they got: The remainder of THQ's owned franchises (Darksiders, MX vs ATV, Red Faction, Destroy All Humans!, and more) and licensed franchises (Marvel Super Hero Squad, Supreme Commander, and more) for a total of $4.9 million

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
A new day

A new day

What will become of all of these franchises and companies? Only time will tell. All in all, we're happy that most of the games wound up in capable hands, and we're eager to see how THQ's former projects turn out in the hands of new owners.

And if you're looking for more, check out the history of THQ and where we wanted each game to land.

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
CATEGORIES
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Jason Fanelli
WHY HELLO THERE! Name's Jason, hailing from right outside Philadelphia. I've been playing the vidya games for well over 20 years, starting with the NES and making my way all the way up to the Wii U. My mother tells people that I taught myself to read at age 3 using Wheel of Fortune Family Edition on the NES. I'm the type of guy that will try anything once, but I do have a few favorite genres, fighting and RPG being at the top. I've been writing about video games since I finished my Broadcast Journalism degree at Temple University in December 2008, mostly for www.gamernode.com. Since then I've been to three E3s, two New York Comic Cons, the first ever PAX East, and many more to come (I hope). I hope everyone enjoys my stuff as much as I love producing it. Hit me up on Twitter @bigmanfanelli, I love talking games with anyone and everyone.
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