Remember THQ? Well, it’s back – kind of. Nordic Games has announced it’s re-branding itself as THQ Nordic, in a move that shook the industry to it’s very core.
Okay maybe not to its very core, but it’s still pretty interesting. THQ Nordic claims that this change ‘represents a core approach of doing more than owning a highly competitive portfolio of [intellectual properties]’.
Back in April 2015, Nordic acquired a bunch of THQ’s intellectual properties during a bankruptcy auction, including Darksiders and Red Faction.
Lars Wingeforst, chief executive of THQ Nordic, claimed that this was a big deal for the company – The new franchises it acquired will become a key part of the companies’ future.
He said:
While we take great pride in our Swedish roots and accomplished a great deal under the Nordic Games masthead, we decided it was time to incorporate the THQ name. 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 IP. 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.
Wingeforst went on to reveal that the company currently has 23 games in development, 13 of which we know nothing about at the moment, but can expect to learn more soon.
He explained:
With this rebrand we are entering the next phase in our company’s evolution. 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.
The artist formerly known as Nordic Games recently announced plans to remaster the first Darksiders game for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Wii U.
We can expect that to land October 25, while we wait for news of the inevitable sequel.
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.