THQ's Bankruptcy Auction.

[6souls]

Grand Theft Auto owner Take-Two Interactive has taken over development of the World Wrestling Entertainment video game series from bankrupt publisher THQ.

THQ was forced to file for bankruptcy recently, and its various assets and studios were sold off to the highest bidders. However, certain assets like the Darksiders franchise, the WWE game series, and studio Vigil Games, did not find buyers.

Now Take-Two has agreed to take the WWE series under its wing, reports Bloomberg, entering into contracts with both the WWE and Yuke's Co., the Japanese developer that created the wrestling games for THQ.

Notably, the deal will help THQ out greatly. Both the WWE and Yuke's had previously filed large claims exceeding $60 million against THQ, due to terminated contracts that the bankruptcy had caused.

However, with this new Take-Two deal, both companies have now agreed to waive their claims in exchange for royalty payouts. WWE will receive $650,000 from THQ, while Yuke's will receive $4.5 million in shares, and royalties of $250,000.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/1...e_from_THQ.php
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...-from-thq.html

[mightyg]

Good to see at least some of the vigil team got new jobs and didn't have to uproot themselves.

[6souls]

After its initial auction last month, THQ has announced it will sell off its remaining intellectual properties via a Court-supervised sale process. The bidding process for these properties are expected to be completed by mid-May.

THQ has six lots of IP up for grabs (full listing at the end of this story):

• Red Faction (Lot 1)
• Homeworld (Lot 2)
• MX (Lot 3)
• Darksiders (Lot 4)
• Other owned software (Lot 5)
• Other licensed software (Lot 6)

Initial bids should be submitted by April 1 and final bids by April 15. The highest bid for each lot will win the sale. Interested bidders must provide:

• 1) Complete identification, including the names of corporate officers or those authorized to act on the bidder’s behalf.
• 2) Written evidence of authority to enter into the anticipated transaction.
• 3) proof of financial ability to perform the contemplated transaction.

Bidders with documentation meeting these requirements should be sent to [email protected].

Spoiler: show

Lot 1

• Red Faction
• Red Faction 2
• Red Faction: Armageddon
• Red Faction: Guerrilla

Lot 2

• Homeworld
• Homeworld 2

Lot 3

• MX Alive
• MX Superfly featuring Ricky Carmichael
• MX Unleashed
• MX vs. ATV Reflex
• MX vs. ATV Untamed
• MX vs. ATV Alive Tournament
• MX vs. ATV Unleashed
• MX vs. ATV: On the Edge

Lot 4

• Darksiders
• Darksiders II

Lot 5

• All Star Cheer Squad
• All Star Cheer Squad 2
• All Star Karate
• Baja: Edge of Control
• Battle of the Bands
• Beat City
• Big Beach Sports
• Big Beach Sports 2
• Big Family Games
• Crawler
• de Blob
• de Blob 2
• Deadly Creatures
• Deep Six
• Destroy All Humans!
• Destroy All Humans! 2
• Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed
• Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon
• Dood’s Big Adventure
• Drawn to Life
• Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter
• Elements of Destruction
• Fantastic Pets
• Frontlines: Fuel of War
• Full Spectrum Warrior 1
• Full Spectrum Warrior 2: Ten Hammers
• Juiced
• Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights
• Lock’s Quest: Construction Combat
• Neighborhood Games
• Pax Imperia
• Stuntman: Ignition
• Summoner
• Summoner 2
• Terranium
• The Outfit
• Titan Quest
• Titan Quest: Immortal Throne
• uDraw
• World of Zoo

Lot 6 (licensed software; buyer to pay any cure costs)

• Costume Quest
• Daniel X (SueJack)
• Deepak Chopra’s Leela (Curious Holdings)
• Fancy Nancy: Tea Praty Time! (Harper Collins)
• Jeopardy
• Jeopardy 2
• Journey to the Center of the Earth
• Let’s Ride Best of Breed
• Marvel Super Hero Squad: Comic Combat
• Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet
• Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet 2
• Nancy Drew: The Hidden Staircase
• Nexuiz
• Paws & Claws: Marine Rescue
• Paws & Claws: Papered Pets Resort 3D
• PurrPals 2
• Rio
• Rocket Riot
• Screwjumper (Frozen Codebase)
• Scripps Spelling Bee (Scripps)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osborne House
• Stacking
• Supreme Commander
• Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
• The Biggest Loser
• Truth or Lies
• Vampire Legends: Power of Three (dtp)
• Wheel of Fortune
• Wheel of Fortune 2
• World of Zoo
• Worms
• Worms 2
• Worms: Battle Islands
• Worms: Open Warfare
• Worms: A Space Oddity
• Worms: Open Warfare 2 (Team17)
• You Don’t Know Jack (Jellyvision)

http://gematsu.com/2013/02/thq-to-au...ing-darksiders

[Rokku]

Hopefully someone snaps up Darksiders, but I can't imagine why anyone would want to buy Red Faction at this point.

[Correction]

Info is creeping out as publishers who got final bids on the remaining six lots make their announcements. Final lists won't get published until may but those who put in winning bids are free to publicize it.

THQ Inc. to Receive $6.55 Million in Sale of Certain Intellectual Properties to Nordic Games, Gearbox Software, and 505 Games

AGOURA HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
THQ Inc. (THQIQ) today announced that it has completed the bidding and sale process on certain of its intellectual properties (IP) with three buyers emerging to pay $6.55 million for the six available lots, subject to Bankruptcy Court approval. The company is filing its motions today with the Bankruptcy Court to obtain approval of these proposed sales.
The $6.55 million sale of the IP assets breaks down as follows:
$4.9 million from Nordic Games Licensing AB, a Swedish-based video games publisher, for Darksiders, Red Faction, MX vs ATV, Other Owned Software (includes Destroy all Humans!, Summoner and more), and Other Licensed Software (includes Marvel Super Hero Squad, Supreme Commander and more);
$1.35 million from Gearbox Software, LLC, a Plano, Tex.-based developer of interactive entertainment, for Homeworld; and
$.3 million from 505 Games Srl, an Italian video game publisher, for Drawn to Life and Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter.

Going by the lot numbers above, that's

Lots 1, 3, 4, and most of 5 and 6 to Nordic Games. (who the fuck is nordic games?)
Drawn to Life games got scooped up out of Lot 5 by 505 Games, an italian publisher with no development arm of their own it seems.
Lot 2 to Gearbox. lol

Of note is the fire-sale prices all this shit went for. NOBODY wanted to touch Darksiders. This shit went for bargain-basement prices and if we ever see a quality title from any of these franchises it'll be a fuckin miracle.

[Qalbert]

http://store.steampowered.com/publisher/Nordic%20Games

[6souls]

Gearbox Press Release;

Gearbox Software has prevailed as the highest bidder in the acquisition of the Homeworld franchise from THQ. Brian Martel, Gearbox Software's Chief Creative Officer, has great love and respect for Relic's brilliant, fun and innovative game and personally spearheaded the acquisition.

Brian intends as first priority to direct Gearbox's interest to preserve and assemble the purest form of the original acclaimed and beloved games, Homeworld and Homeworld 2, with the intent of making them accessible on today's leading digital platforms.

Please visit the Gearbox Software Forums to share with us and Brian what you think should be done with Homeworld moving forward. And, please try to get our attention if you have capability and interest to join the effort in developing or enabling Homeworld's future.

http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/commu...ion-and-plans/
http://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/fo...play.php?f=186

[Lenus]

poor darksiders =/ could have turned into something epic.

[Tyrath]

Can't believe no bigger name picked up Darksiders :/

[Qalbert]

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/23/no...lking-sequels/

Nordic Games picked up most of the IPs in THQ's back catalog auction, dishing out $4.9 million for Darksiders, Red Faction, MX vs ATV, Titan Quest and a slew of unannounced games from THQ's long list of for-sale properties. Nordic was a surprise to some, especially next to Gearbox, which picked up the Homeworld franchise, and 505 Games, which snagged Drawn to Life and its sequel. But Nordic isn't new.

"We've been in conversation with THQ since January," Nordic CEO Lars Wingefors told Game Informer. "We signed all the NDAs in January."

Wingefors has been in the gaming industry for 20 years, he said, and has handled "a lot" of THQ products during that time. In November 2011, Nordic acquired publisher JoWood, in charge of Painkiller and Torchlight, and also ended up with Canadian publisher Dreamcatcher, spawning Nordic's publishing focus.

Nordic took part in the first THQ auction as well, which sold off properties such as Saints Row and some development studios for upwards of $20 million. That sale was too rich for Wingefors: "Saints Row went for $22 million and Koch bought that development studio with that burn rate on a daily basis. Even though I do have financial resources, I don't have those kind of resources."

Wingefors didn't want a studio. Nordic is a "middle man" looking for the right team to make some new sequels; there's already been plenty of interest in Darksiders, he said.

"We have to be very honest," Wingefors said. "I am a business man within the games industry. We are not the creative, talented developer that brings out new versions in house. I understand the potential of the IPs. I respect the original creators and the creative people who are able to create sequels. In the past 24 hours, we have been contacted and there have been a few discussions (but I can't confirm names)."

Nordic took home more than 50 former THQ games, but has yet to release the full list.

"As we still have some open points with regards to a couple of titles we will not publish a comprehensive list at this stage," a Nordic Games representative told Joystiq yesterday. "However, once everything is fixed and the ink is dry – around mid-May – we will go out with a comprehensive list of titles which we have acquired in the process."

Nordic will hold talks this summer with different developers, during E3 especially. Don't expect any sequels too soon, though.

"You won't see a new Darksiders this year," Wingefors said. "I don't believe in bringing out a shitty sequel."

[Kyo]

What the fuck is a nordic games, better get the old vigil team to work on the sequel.

[Aevis]

With Nordic beeing a publisher only, the future for Darksiders might not be so dark, especially if the CEO cares as much for the IP as he says.

[Serra]

Bumping with some more Darksiders III "news".
http://kotaku.com/darksiders-iii-sou...ppen-510599876

Co-op does sound cool, but I can't help thinking.. if you had all these cool ideas for after the end of Darksiders, why not do that instead of the seeming pointlessness of DSII's story..?

[Qalbert]

WHAT A TWIST
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...nder-thq-name/

Nordic Games plans to begin publishing games under the THQ name after securing the rights to the defunct publisher's trademark.

The publisher purchased the rights to several THQ series as part of the latter's bankruptcy proceedings, including Darksiders and MX vs. ATV. Nordic Games general manager Klemens Kruezer told Polygon that the deal for THQ's name was made separately.

"We have seen an uplift in the name of Nordic Games, and what we have also done is we have made a second deal with THQ where we bought the THQ trademark," Kruezer said.

Industry figures and gamers alike were surprised when Nordic acquired several of THQ's properties, as it does not have much name recognition on its own, Kruezer admitted.

"The challenging fact is nobody has ever heard about Nordic Games before [the THQ auction]," he said. "There were so many articles with the headlines 'Who the fuck is Nordic Games?' We said, okay they were right."

Nordic Games is a much smaller operation than THQ was before it closed its doors. All the same, it hopes to make good on fan expectations for all Darksiders and the rest of its franchises, but the team will "need some more patience from the fans, because we want to be able to do it right."

The publisher acknowledged that it has spoken with former Vigil developers about creating Darksiders 3. Former creative director and comic book artist Joe Madureira has said Nordic "seems very committed to continuing the series".

[Correction]

Why would they want such a toxic mark? Start fresh, don't remind everyone of that time your company used to be some other company that went from a top 5 AAA publisher to the toilet in 18 months.

[izembo]

because the majority of people buying games still haven't even noticed THQ went under

[Kohan]

because the majority of people buying games still haven't even noticed THQ went under

Indeed. Same reason Atari label had value. The average consumer doesn't know about THQ's woes, and may like their games. The hardcore gamer, meanwhile, probably respects that THQ had some good games, even among the not-so-good ones. There isn't really a disadvantage to using a label like that.