Who owns THQ's properties?
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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)
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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")
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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AKALMoumen - October 30, 2013 1:48 a.m.
You did forget the Assassin't Creed creator's new game I think it's under the working tittle 1666 got bought out by Ubisoft... I guess he can never leave his old french buddies... -
JangoFettN7 - April 27, 2013 11:08 p.m.
I wonder who got the stuntman franchise. I believe THQ had the rights to it last (although they killed it). -
AKALMoumen - October 30, 2013 1:45 a.m.
Nordic does... it's like this imagine every series (or almost all if not) THQ made that are not on this list or under Nordic's slide are owned by Nordic... It's a freaking massive list and the company is operated by 15 guys it's mind boggling... -
Blue Shenron - April 24, 2013 11:01 a.m.
Sega has been making video games since the late 80's ? You must be kidding, they''ve been making videogames since the late 70's, and they've been making arcade machines even before videogames existed. I serioulsy hope it's a typo. -
doominatorx6 - April 24, 2013 9:05 a.m.
So, who's ready to see Homeworld make a comeback and simultaneously crash and burn thanks to Gearbox at the helm? -
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Swedish_Chef - April 24, 2013 6:39 a.m.
Sega getting Relic IMO is probably the best news in here since they have experience handling RTS games, for example the Total War series. Most interesting news here is Take-Two picking up the "Evolve" project for $10mil and what exactly it inquires, is it a new IP? A new game engine? Whatever it is had to be interesting enough to warrant that ammount of money for a project unknown to the public. -
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LordZarlon - April 23, 2013 5:38 p.m.
I'm not impressed with Gearbox buying Homeworld. They aren't a strategy game developer. I couldn't care less about a Homeworld FPS. -
StrayGator - April 23, 2013 2:38 p.m.
nitpick: writing "Montreuil, France" is akin to "Springfield, USA", as there are about 20 of those.
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