Defunct game publisher THQ rises from the dead as THQ Nordic

By Will Fulton August 12, 2016

thq nordic rebrand head — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Swedish developer Nordic Games has announced that it is re-branding itself as “THQ Nordic,” reviving the embattled THQ brand that it acquired in 2014.

“With this rebrand we are entering the next phase in our company’s evolution,” the company explained in a press release. “As of now we have 23 game projects in development, 13 thereof have not yet been publicly announced, but are sure to be in the next months. Needless to say, the majority of these projects are based on former THQ owned IPs and franchises.”

One of the major game publishers of the early aughts, with franchises such as Saints Row, Red Faction, and Dawn of War, THQ famously imploded under financial duress and declared bankruptcy in December 2012. Shortly thereafter, the company began liquidating assets and auctioning off its huge catalog of properties to other developers and publishers like Sega, Take-Two, and Ubisoft. Nordic snatched up the remaining IPs in 2013, and then acquired rights to the THQ trademark itself in 2014. The former THQ brands that Nordic now owns include Red Faction, Darksiders, Full Spectrum Warrior, de Blob and Titan Quest.

“Those key brands will continue to shape our business in a meaningful way going forward, and THQ Nordic represents a core approach of doing much more than ‘owning’ a highly competitive portfolio of IPs,” the press release continues. “We cherish them, and align them with the very best development resources to expand upon them with the level of experience that communities and established fan bases expect and deserve.”

Nordic was founded in 2008, developing smaller projects like the physical release of Alan Wake or Sam and Max Season One, but really put itself on the map by acquiring the lion’s share of THQ. It makes sense, then, that it would re-brand in this way to capitalize on the defunct publisher’s name recognition.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…

Gaming

Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game keeps the cult film’s zaniness intact

Survivors hide from a Klown in Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game.

The beauty of the movie Killer Klowns from Outer Space is the way the title tells you exactly what you are going to get. A small town has been invaded by aliens, who happen to look like Clowns. And you’d best believe they will be killing. Now, that elegant premise is getting its own asymmetrical horror video game.

I went hands-on with the upcoming multiplayer adaptation of this 1980’s horror-comedy from the Chiodo Brothers at PAX East. During my demo, I spoke with some of the team behind it to find out what it takes to adapt a cult classic like Killer Klowns. It's a story that begins with being in the right place at the right time, merging movie practical effect magic with gaming expertise, and finally answering one of life's great questions: What does clown blood look like?
Back from outer space
I arrive at the Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game demo to meet with Jared Gerritzen, chief creative officer at Illfonic. We are joined by Jordan Mathewson, the design director on the project. A long line stretches around the booth as PAX goers, some in Killer Klown cosplay, eagerly wait their turn to play. I can’t help but wonder how this crazy project came to be.

Gaming

As the use of AI rises in games, SAG-AFTRA is fighting to make the tech ethical

AI-generated NPCs sit at a bar.

Every year, the annual Game Developers Conference (GDC) acts as an all-important watercooler moment for the video game industry. It’s the one time a year where developers can widely gather to share their innovations, discuss the state of the industry, and advocate for change at scale. This year’s show, though, is especially crucial. It comes amid a catastrophic wave of layoffs across studios that’s put well over 10,000 individuals out of work. That’s happening as executives look to tools like generative AI to cut costs, which has created a firestorm over labor issues.

Unionization and worker protections are set to be the headline of this year’s show, and there’s a major player in attendance that will speak to those issues. Representatives from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) will be on hand this week, hosting panels on queer representation and the dangers of deepfake technology in games. While the union will speak to several parallel issues currently plaguing the industry, it’ll also be a key voice in championing the ethical use of AI during a week where that’s sure to be a heated subject.

Gaming

Every key detail from Xbox’s business update: new console, multiplatform games, and more

Microsoft just released the latest episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, and it contained lots of crucial details on the future of Xbox. Microsoft addressed everything from how many games it will make multiplatform to the arrival of Activision Blizzard games on Xbox Game Pass to future Xbox hardware.

If you don't want to listen to the full 23-minute podcast and want more details than what's shared in the Xbox Wire post about the discussion, here's a quick rundown of the biggest points made during the episode.
Four Xbox games are going multiplatform
To kick things off, Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, addressed the multiplatform Xbox game rumors. "We made the decision that we’re going to take four games to the other consoles. Just four games, not a change to our kind of fundamental exclusive strategy,” he said. “We’re making these decisions for some specific reasons. We make every decision with the long-term health of Xbox in mind, and long-term health of Xbox means a growing platform, our games performing, building the best platform for creators, reaching as many players as we can."