When THQ shuttered back in 2013, it was sad day for the multitudes that had grown up with the developer/publisher, as well as its core franchises like Saints Row and Metro. Assets were sold off to a variety of bidders, including a studio called Nordic Games, which acquired both the THQ trademark and a selection of franchises, such as Darksiders and Red Faction. Under the new name THQ Nordic, the studio went on a spree of acquisitions in the following years, culminating this morning in a move worthy of Valentine’s Day recognition. Following EUR 121 million purchase, THQ Nordic are now the proud owners of Koch Media GmbH, reuniting the studio with many of its defining series.
During the great asset auction of 2013, THQ sold subsidiary Volition to Koch Media, who merged those assets with their own subsidiary, Deep Silver. Deep Silver, which had risen to prominence with the Dead Island series, took control of the Metro and Saints Row franchises, while Koch also went out and acquired the Homefront IP from Crytek, who had acquired it from THQ. With only the trademark to their name and two aging franchises, THQ Nordic would need to re-acquire these assets in order to restore the name to its former glory.
As of this morning, that’s exactly what they’ve accomplished. For the first time in half a decade, Saints Row, Metro, Red Faction, Darksiders, are back under the THQ banner. Nordic also picked up some new projects in the acquisition, such as the long, long-awaited Shenmue III and Kingdom Come: Deliverance, which released yesterday. The fall of THQ was a heartbreaker for many gamers, but after only a few short years, the company has officially been reunited with the games it had to say goodbye to.