Cools! was here...
Why do the good ones end up with problems and the bad ones end up buying all their shit? Aggravating.
I sort of feel like I should have bought Darksiders 2 to support them, I really enjoyed the first one, yet I wait for a steam sale. I suppose I am apart of the problem...
Definition of 'Stalking-Horse Bid'An initial bid on a bankrupt company's assets from an interested buyer chosen by the bankrupt company. From a pool of bidders, the bankrupt company chooses the stalking horse to make the first bid.
Relic EntertainmentMakers of Company of HeroesWinning bidder: Sega, $26.6 million.Runner-up: Zenimax Media, $26.3 million.THQ MontrealMakers 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.Runner-up: Turtle Rock Studios, $250,000.Volition, Inc.Maker of Saints RowWinning bidder: Koch Media, $22,312,925.Runner-up: Ubisoft, $5.4 million.HomefrontReleased 2011; due for a sequel.Winning bidder: Crytek. $544,218.No runner-up.MetroSeries; due for the sequel Metro: Last Light.Winning Bidder: Koch Media, $5,877,551Runner-up: Ubisoft: $5.175 million.South ParkLicense; South Park: The Stick of Truth is due for release March 5.Winning bidder: Ubisoft, $3,265,306No runner-up.
By Jeffrey Matulef Published Tuesday, 29 January 2013Last week's THQ closure left the publisher's most beloved properties like Saint's Row and Company of Heroes scattered in several different directions with publishers like Sega and Ubisoft taking the reins, but curiously, the one studio that nobody bought was Darksiders' developer Vigil Games. There were rumours that Bayonetta developer Platinum Games was courting them, but it looks like Vigil general manager and co-owner David Adams along with 35 members of his team have landed a role with Crytek, as the Crysis developer opens up its first North American office in Austin, Texas.Adams, is now the newly appointed CEO of Crytek's US studio. "I'm thrilled to be a part of the newest Crytek studio, which will boast some of the brightest development talent in the industry," he said in the announcement. "The studio's launch represents Crytek's commitment to delivering diverse and high quality content to players everywhere."Crytek CEO, Cevat Yerli added, "We are extremely excited about the work that we will be undertaking from our strategic new location in Austin, with David Adams and his team of 35 experienced developers. We believe our CryENGINE technology will enable the team we assemble to create unparalleled new gaming experiences.""Crytek has always enjoyed a special relationship with gamers and business partners in North America, so establishing a permanent presence in the US was a natural step."Besides the new Austin studio, Crytek has headquarters in Germany, the Ukraine, Hungary, Bulgaria, South Korea, the UK, China, and Turkey.Now, the question remains: will this new studio continue Vigil's work on the project codenamed Crawler that lead combat designer Ben Cureton was so excited about? We've followed up with Crytek about this - as well as the rights to Darksiders - and will update if we find anything out.Last week Crytek bought the right to Homefront for $544,218. It was already developing a sequel to the 2011 shooter, so now it will either self-publish or strike up a deal with another publisher.
Darksiders III in CryEngine? Oooooo! Hehe
The date’s been set for the final court-supervised auction of THQ’s remaining properties. Those titles not bought in January’s fire sale have been divided into lots, with initial bids due in April 1st. Final bids are required by April 15th, then, pending court approval, THQ expects to sell the remaining vestige of its existence by mid-May. *Sniff*While the tastiest morsels have already been picked away, there’s still some meat clinging to the THQ bone. Darksiders, Homeworld and Red Faction are all looking for a new home. In an ideal world, the Homeworld license will be picked up by someone who’ll actually use it, and Red Faction will end up somewhere that recognises the brilliance of Guerrilla over the mediocrity of Armageddon.Here’s the full list:Lot 1: Red FactionRed FactionRed Faction ArmageddonRed Faction 2Red Faction: GuerrillaLot 2: HomeworldHomeworldHomeworld 2Lot 3: MXMX AliveMX vs ATV UntamedMX Superfly featuring Ricky CarmichaelMX vs. ATV Alive TournamentMX UnleashedMX vs. ATV UnleashedMX vs ATV ReflexMX vs. ATV: On The EdgeLot 4: DarksidersDarksidersDarksiders 2Lot 5: Other Owned SoftwareAll Star Cheer SquadElements of DestructionAll Star Cheer Squad 2Fantastic PetsAll Star KarateFrontlines: Fuel of WarBaja: Edge of ControlFull Spectrum Warrior 1Full Spectrum Warrior 2: Ten HammersBattle of the BandsBeat CityJuicedJuiced 2: Hot Import NightsBig Beach SportsBig Beach Sports 2Lock’s Quest: Construction CombatBig Family GamesNeighborhood GamesCrawlerPax Imperiade Blobde Blob 2Stuntman: IgnitionSummonerSummoner 2Deadly CreaturesDeep SixTerraniumDestroy All Humans!Destroy All Humans! 2Destroy All Humans! Big Willy UnleashedDestroy All Humans! Path of the FuronThe OutfitTitan QuestTitan Quest: Immortal ThroneuDrawDood’s Big AdventureWorld of ZooDrawn to LifeDrawn to Life: The Next ChapterLot 6: Licensed SoftwareCostume QuestStackingScripps Spelling Bee (Scripps)Daniel X (SueJack)Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osborne HouseDeepak Chopra’s Leela (Curious Holdings)Fancy Nancy: Tea Party Time! (Harper Collins)Supreme CommanderSupreme Commander Forged AllianceJeopardyJeopardy 2The Biggest LoserJourney to the Center of the EarthTruth or LiesLet’s Ride Best of BreedVampire Legends: Power of Three (dtp)Marvel Super Hero Squad: Comic CombatMarvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity GauntletMarvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet 2Wheel of FortuneWheel of Fortune 2World of ZooNancy Drew: The Hidden StaircaseWorms 2Worms Battle IslandsWorms Open WarfareWorms: A Space OddityWorms: Open Warfare 2 (Team 17)NexuizPaws & Claws Marine RescuePaws & Claws Pampered Pets Resort 3DPurrPals 2RioYou Don’t Know Jack (Jellyvision)Rocket RiotScrewjumper (Frozen Codebase)
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
Here's hoping Gearbox don't pawn it off on another lesser studio like Timegate.
Who the hell is Nordic?
Nordic Games describes early plans for Darksiders, Red Factionby Steve Watts, Jun 14, 2013 11:15pm PDTRelated Topics – Darksiders Series, Red Faction Series, Nordic Games, MX vs ATV Series, Titan Quest SeriesNordic Games' acquisition of THQ franchises like Darksiders and Red Faction came as a surprise, partly because of the company's relative obscurity. Some time has passed now, though, and the publisher has started to talk about what it plans to do with those properties.Nordic's product development manager Reinhard Pollice told Joystiq that the company is watching the communities closely to gauge interest. Probably unsurprisingly, the games getting the most buzz are Darksiders, MX vs. ATV, Red Faction, and Titan Quest. Nordic isn't itself a developer, though, and doesn't have the funds itself to publish a AAA title. It's currently seeking partners, both for development and co-publishing arrangements.Pollice mentioned that they've talked to former Darksiders team members, but some have moved onto other jobs or went to Crytek. He cautioned that a Darksiders sequel would not come for a long time, two years at the soonest. But they do hope to be ready to announce plans in time for Gamescom.He did mention that they could probably handle MX vs. ATV on their own, and that they've been talking to European teams about Titan Quest.Red Faction is up in the air, as they would need to figure out a proper direction for the game.The plans are still in flux, but he concluded with an open offer to former THQ developers. "We'd also love to make contact with former developers on these games. So, everyone who worked on one of these games get in touch with us. Obviously those guys have great experience in doing those games. They spent a lot of time and passion on creating that. Ideally, we'd like to team up with those former developers."
It was a sad day in 2013 when the THQ flag was lowered for the last time. Not that we didn't see it coming, but there was a time when THQ was a solid mid-tier publisher with some well-regarded studios under its banner, and while those glory days can never be brought back, the THQ name can.Nordic Games General Manager Klemens Kruezer told Polygon that the company has completed a deal to acquire the trademark, and if you're now wondering who Nordic Games is, well, that's kind of the point."It was kind of a surprise to some industry veterans and players that we were the winner of the auction of the THQ titles. The challenging fact is nobody has ever heard about Nordic Games before [the auction]. There were so many articles with the headlines ‘Who the fuck is Nordic Games?’ We said, okay, they were right," Kruezer said. ""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."Nordic Games is actually an Austrian publisher with a catalog built largely out of acquisitions from THQ, JoWooD and DreamCatcher. It picked up the rights to the Darksiders and Red Faction franchises last year, and also holds Painkiller, Titan Quest, Panzer Elite, SpellForce and various others. It's perhaps not the most world-beating array of titles ever assembled, but Nordic is working on it: Kruezer said the company needs fans to be patient because it wants to do a proper job of bringing back old THQ games like Darksiders."We want to be able to do it right," he said. "The owner of Nordic Games has given [interviews] where he has said that he doesn’t want to make a shitty sequel."Kruezer said more information about Nordic's plans for the future will be revealed in August at the Gamescom convention in Germany.
