The Great THQ Sale (i.e not good)

Falthyron

Today, THQ (or it's developers, should nobody elect to buy the entire portfolio) goes under the hammer.

With many IPs, franchises and developers up for grabs the question I put forward to you guys is; Who do you want to see going where?

Personally, I want Relic Entertainment to go to Ubisoft/Bethesda/Double Fine/Valve. I do not want to see them being swallowed up by EA/Activision-Blizzard.

Article on THQ's history and recent downfall...

saiint

ea
in my opinion

Grumpypants

You have to think the studio's with games almost finished are the best bet. Buy the studio and almost straight away recoup the money from selling the game.

I feel sorry for the studios like the Saints Row 3 guys who have recently released a game and will need a publisher to buy them and inject what ever ridiculous amount to build SR4. Far less likely, more likely they will buy the IP's and strip the dev teams.

Kiith

Someone buy the Homeworld license and make a sequel dammit!

Gunmonkey

Kiith wrote: »

Someone buy the Homeworld license and make a sequel dammit!

It might happen, dunno what Relic have in the works since CoH2 is out later this year, and it was THQ who had the license with Games Workshop so if whoever buys Relic doesnt get it theres not gonna be a DoW3 from them. So either CoH2 expansions and a third game, Homeworld or a new IP/old RTS IP rejigged for modern age.

Will be intresting to see who gets what companies, I imagine Relic and Volition (for the Saints Row license) will be the hotly contested grabs.

Monty - the one and only

Kiith wrote: »

Someone buy the Homeworld license and make a sequel dammit!

there was some mention of this a few days ago... a former homeworld dev stated "who knows what will happen the up comming thq auction"

cherryghost

Just bought the Saints Row IP, cheers for the heads up OP. Good bargain. :pac:

Monty - the one and only

I'ld love to see another freepspace... but not sure whether it was voalition or interplay who had the rights for that...:(

gizmo

Sega bids high for Relic Entertainment – rumour

I approve of this, I can see Relic being a good fit at SEGA, especially based on their handling of Creative Assembly over the years.

COYVB

That's a surprise... Sega aren't exactly awash with cash money at the moment

NTMK

gizmo wrote: »

I approve of this, I can see Relic being a good fit at SEGA, especially based on their handling of Creative Assembly over the years.

Makes sense too with CA now having the Warhammer licence. If games workshop trust Sega with that then i imagine the 40k license will transfer to sega-relic

WildCardDoW

Worst thing is, it was a poxy kids game that really screwed them over! They produce some quality titles, especially on the PC, and we could lose some of these in the mix!

Frisbee

Sega, Relic & CA combine and using the GW licence create a Total War style 40k game....

*drool*

gizmo

SEGA giving them a nice budget for Homeworld 3 would what I'd be hoping for.

Mr E

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-01-23-thq-auction-rumours-relic-to-sega-volition-saints-row-to-koch-south-park-to-ubisoft

THQ auction rumours: Relic to Sega, Volition/Saints Row to Koch, South Park to Ubisoft

Spear

Relic employee has said that Sega does own them now:

https://twitter.com/kyleberndt/status/294166753599164416

And THQ themselves have given out the list:

http://kotaku.com/5978429/this-is-the-letter-that-thq-sent-to-employees-today

NTMK

Spear wrote: »

Relic employee has said that Sega does own them now:

https://twitter.com/kyleberndt/status/294166753599164416

And THQ themselves have given out the list:

http://kotaku.com/5978429/this-is-the-letter-that-thq-sent-to-employees-today

sad Vigil didnt find a home

I worry about Volition and Metro because Koch produce some amount of ****

super_furry

COYVB wrote: »

That's a surprise... Sega aren't exactly awash with cash money at the moment

That Eurogamer article reckons that they have over $2billion in reserves so they must be doing alright.

Pushtrak

http://www.gameplanet.co.nz/news/1020911.20130124.THQ-auction-results-Relic-to-Sega-Volition-and-Metro-to-Koch-and-more/

The proposed sales are as follows :

Sega agreed to purchase Relic
Koch Media agreed to purchase Volition and Metro
Crytek agreed to purchase Homefront
Take 2 agreed purchase Evolve
Ubisoft agreed to purchase THQ Montreal and South Park

Angron

Hopefully Sega will keep on the Warhammer games under Relic, that was the big worry for me that it wouldn't get a buyer/gets someone like Blizzard.

BlitzKrieg

Sega did well over creative assembly, they are also a big supporter of Steam (pretty much all the total war since empire have been made with steam in mind)

My only concern is Sega tried to get creative assembly into the console market with spartan total warrior and viking, it didnt go well.

not sure if they are thinking the same for relic or just want to take whats left of the PC RTS pie left over from blizzard.


regardless I am glad relic got a home, and now I can laugh myself to sleep imagining sonic the hedgehog in the 40k universe.

cherryghost

Relic Entertainment
Makers of Company of Heroes
Winning bidder: Sega, $26.6 million.
Backup: Zenimax Media, $26.3 million.

THQ Montreal
Makers of 1666 and Underdog, titles under development.
Winning bidder: Ubisoft, $2.5 million. No runner-up.

Evolve
(title in development at Turtle Rock Studios)
Winning bidder: Take-Two Interactive, $10.894 million.
Backup: Turtle Rock Studios, $250,000.

Volition, Inc.
Maker of Saints Row
Winning bidder: Koch Media, $22,312,925.
Backup: Ubisoft, $5.4 million.

Homefront
Released 2011; due for a sequel.
Winning bidder: Crytek. $544,218.

Metro
Series; due for the sequel Metro: Last Light.
Winning Bidder: Koch Media, $5,877,551
Backup: Ubisoft: $5.175 million.

South Park
License; South Park: The Stick of Truth is due for release March 5.
Winning bidder: Ubisoft, $3,265,306




Nobody made a bid for Vigil, of the Darksiders franchise. Anyone interested in a collective bid? :P

danthefan

So Darksiders is dead? I liked those games

cherryghost

danthefan wrote: »

So Darksiders is dead? I liked those games

Despite that it sold pretty poorly (with the exception of the 360 platform)

NTMK

cherryghost wrote: »

Relic Entertainment
Makers of Company of Heroes
Winning bidder: Sega, $26.6 million.
Backup: Zenimax Media, $26.3 million.

****ing hell :eek:
and RTS is a dying genre apparently:pac:

MitchKoobski

Didn't see this coming. WWE licence has reportedly gone to Take Two/2K Sports.

http://ie.ign.com/articles/2013/01/23/wwe-video-game-license-to-be-acquired-by-take-two

2K Sports. MLB and NHL series.

Take-Two own 2K's different companies and Rockstar's.

VinLieger

danthefan wrote: »

So Darksiders is dead? I liked those games

Not dead just Vigil and the Darksiders IP havent been sold YET

marco_polo

VinLieger wrote: »

Not dead just Vigil and the Darksiders IP havent been sold YET

The IP perhaps, but it looks like the studio is almost certainly defunct as most remaining THQ staff are being let go.

Angron

NTMK wrote: »

****ing hell :eek:
and RTS is a dying genre apparently:pac:

Yeah, but Dawn of War is awesome :pac:

calex71

Shocked that EA did jump at a WWE license :eek:

Angron

calex71 wrote: »

Shocked that EA did jump at a WWE license :eek:

I'm kind of glad it didn't go to them. I dunno why, but I wouldn't be overly keen on them getting the license.

gizmo

marco_polo wrote: »

The IP perhaps, but it looks like the studio is almost certainly defunct as most remaining THQ staff are being let go.

Indeed, the staff have all been laid off...

A poignant goodbye from one of Vigil Games' many former employees

On a related note, the thought of this made me, well let's just say happy. :pac:

Mr E

So if Darksiders 3 comes along, does that mean Conquest or Famine are going to have really long hair and look good in leather?

Gunmonkey

Mr E wrote: »

So if Darksiders 3 comes along, does that mean Conquest or Famine are going to have really long hair and look good in leather?

You mean Strife and Fury (no idea why they changed their names either), but Fury is female and uses a whip so looks like its inevitable :rolleyes:

gizmo

Gunmonkey wrote: »

You mean Strife and Fury (no idea why they changed their names either), but Fury is female and uses a whip so looks like its inevitable :rolleyes:

From the comments of some of the ex-Vigil guys, DS3 would have offered proper four-player co-op with the horsemen as opposed to just Fury and/or Strife. As for the characters themselves, most of the final concept work was already done and can be seen in the two Art of Darksiders books, (nevermind flashes of them during the in-game cinematics, so unless Platinum went for a full redesign there wouldn't have been much worry of it going in the Bayonetta direction, style-wise at least.

Zero-Cool

So Koch Media (Deep Silver) are in charge of the Saints Row franchise. Will be interesting to see what differences will be in SR 4. I think SR went a bit too mental so hope they go back to SR 2 kinda mental.

EA already got the UFC license off them last year so I'd say they are concentrating on MMA than WWE. EA also have their Fight Night series so maybe another fighting series would be too much.

Varik

Gunmonkey wrote: »

You mean Strife and Fury (no idea why they changed their names either), but Fury is female and uses a whip so looks like its inevitable :rolleyes:

There's no changing, the only horseman that is named is Death with the rest only described.

Grumpypants

Having been through a similar slow drawn out process with months of layoffs with one final dumping of everyone on to the jobless pile, I feel for these guys. It took me 3 years to get back but after totally changing industries going from a job that i just worked at, to working in the industry I love means looking back now it was the best thing that could have happened. It was a bloody hard 3 years though.

Hopefully the studio gets picked up and put back together.

Fair play to the studio's who are rallying around them like Naughty Dog who are offering up some jobs for them to apply for.

VinLieger

Varik wrote: »

There's no changing, the only horseman that is named is Death with the rest only described.

They have never been named in the games but in concept art and behind the scenes vids they have
http://darksiders.wikia.com/wiki/Four_Horsemen

BlitzKrieg

VinLieger wrote: »

They have never been named in the games but in concept art and behind the scenes vids they have
http://darksiders.wikia.com/wiki/Four_Horsemen

Uhmm I think he meant in the bible. The only horseman named directly is Death

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Horsemen_of_the_Apocalypse

VinLieger

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

Uhmm I think he meant in the bible. The only horseman named directly is Death

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Horsemen_of_the_Apocalypse

LOL my mistake

gizmo

One thing I haven't seen mentioned much so far is that despite SEGA's purchase of Relic, it seems they only acquired the CoH and UFO IPs in the deal, Homeworld is still wrapped up in Chapter 11 proceedings.

Web developer launches Indiegogo campaign to buy the Homeworld IP from THQ

...and **** that.

EDIT: Seems the Warhammer IP isn't even a certainty now: Sega and Relic and the whereabouts of the Warhammer 40,000 IP

Kiith

gizmo wrote: »

Web developer launches Indiegogo campaign to buy the Homeworld IP from THQ

...and **** that.

**** that is right. No way in hell i want to see Homeworld 3 designed for a tablet. If they want to create a space rts for a tablet, by all means, do it. I'd actually like to see a good one made. But Homeworld needs to stay with Relic, or someone like them who can do it justice.

Angron

Please keep the Warhammer IP Sega, please!

VinLieger

gizmo wrote: »

One thing I haven't seen mentioned much so far is that despite SEGA's purchase of Relic, it seems they only acquired the CoH and UFO IPs in the deal, Homeworld is still wrapped up in Chapter 11 proceedings.

Web developer launches Indiegogo campaign to buy the Homeworld IP from THQ

...and **** that.

The Homeworld IP as well as some other stuff is apparently part of whats being called the Legacy package which will be auctioned off at a later date

Gbear

Looks like Sega did get WH40K with Relic but it's not a certainty yet:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-01-25-sega-and-relic-and-the-whereabouts-of-the-warhammer-40-000-ip

Specifically, Sega noted: "THQ Canada provides several million seller franchise titles, and its representative products include the Warhammer 40k Dawn of War series."

Then Sega Europe boss Jurgen Post said: "We are incredibly excited to welcome Relic Entertainment into the Sega family. They are a highly respected development studio, with Company of Heroes and the Warhammer series both testament to the pedigree of their games."

Nowhere did Sega state undeniably that "we now own the Warhammer 40,000 IP", but why drop hints and talk about it so much if that wasn't the case?

I asked Sega Europe for confirmation of the Warhammer 40,000 IP acquisition this morning, but Sega could give me none.

gizmo

Seems Crytek have opened a new studio in Austin from the remains of Vigil.

New Crytek USA studio staffed with ex-Vigil employees

Should be interesting to see what comes from that at least.