fbpx
Wikipedia

THQ Nordic

THQ Nordic GmbH (formerly Nordic Games GmbH) is an Austrian video game publisher based in Vienna. Formed in 2011, it is a publishing subsidiary of Embracer Group. Originally named Nordic Games, as was the parent company, both companies were renamed THQ Nordic in August 2016 after the parent company had acquired the "THQ" trademark in 2014.

THQ Nordic GmbH
Logo in use since August 2016
FormerlyNordic Games GmbH (2011–2016)
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded2011; 13 years ago (2011)
Headquarters,
Austria
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Klemens Kreuzer (CEO)
  • Reinhard Pollice (director of business and product development)
ProductsSee List of THQ Nordic games
Revenue 161 million[1] (2022)
Number of employees
988[1] (2022)
ParentEmbracer Group
SubsidiariesSee § Subsidiaries
Websitethqnordic.com

The company publishes licensed games from entertainment companies such as AEW, Nickelodeon, Lucasfilm Ltd., Comedy Central, and Disney, while maintaining its own development studios and IP, publishing franchises like Destroy All Humans!, Darksiders, Alone in the Dark, SpellForce, and Gothic.

THQ Nordic's core portfolio comprises assets that were acquired from other developers and publishers, such as from JoWooD Entertainment and its subsidiaries DreamCatcher Interactive and The Adventure Company in 2011, THQ in 2013, and NovaLogic in 2016. THQ Nordic has acquired and established several subsidiary studios, including Black Forest Games, Bugbear Entertainment, Gunfire Games, HandyGames, Piranha Bytes, Purple Lamp, and Rainbow Studios.

History edit

As Nordic Games GmbH (2011–2016) edit

 
Former Nordic Games logo (2011–2016)

Nordic Games GmbH was founded in 2011 as part of the Nordic Games Holding group.[2] Within this group, Nordic Games became a subsidiary of Nordic Games Licensing, which was established in the same year.[3][4] In June 2011, Nordic Games Holding acquired assets from JoWooD and its affiliate companies DreamCatcher Interactive and The Adventure Company, including their brands and products. Nordic Games.[5][6] Several former JoWooD employees were hired by Nordic Games to work on sales of JoWooD's former properties, and Nordic Games Group's former publishing arm, Nordic Games Publishing, was integrated into the new Nordic Games to facilitate operations.[7]

Darksiders is a top product. THQ spent $50m making Darksiders 2 (...) We can produce a product of the same quality but for a lower cost. $50m is ridiculous, I can't afford that. Many of our IPs will only generate $50k a year, but it's still money. Sure, it's amounts that EA and the big guys wouldn't care about, but now we have hundreds of IPs, and in a few years we'll have a few hundred more. It will add up to something much bigger.

Lars Wingefors[8]

In April 2013, Nordic Games acquired all left-over properties from the bankruptcy auctions of American video game publisher THQ for US$4.9 million. Included in the deal were over 150 individual games, including the Darksiders, Red Faction, and MX vs. ATV franchises.[9][10] In June 2013, Nordic Games acquired the Desperados franchise, comprising Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive and Desperados 2: Cooper's Revenge, as well as the game Silver, from Atari.[11]

In December 2013, Nordic Games launched Grimlore Games, a video game developer composed of former Coreplay employees, based in Munich, Germany.[12][13] In May 2014, Nordic Games acquired the intellectual property for The Moment of Silence, The Mystery of the Druids and Curse of the Ghost Ship, as well as the publishing rights to Overclocked: A History of Violence and 15 Days, from bankrupt German publisher DTP Entertainment.[14]

In July 2015, Nordic Games and developer Piranha Bytes announced ELEX, an original action role-playing game.[15] The following month, Nordic Games acquired a number of franchises from bankrupt German publisher bitComposer Entertainment, including the Jagged Alliance franchise.[16] In February 2016, Nordic Games acquired all intellectual property from Hungarian publisher Digital Reality, including Sine Mora.[17]

As THQ Nordic GmbH (2016–present) edit

In August 2016, Nordic Games changed its name to THQ Nordic GmbH (alongside Nordic Games Licensing AB, which became THQ Nordic AB), utilising the "THQ" trademark the parent company had acquired in June 2014.[18][19] According to Wingefors and THQ Nordic's Reinhard Pollice, the name change was undergone to capitalise on the good reputation of THQ's past, although they avoided naming the companies just "THQ" to avoid connections to THQ's more recent, troubled history being made.[18] In October 2016, THQ Nordic announced that it had acquired all intellectual property and assets from NovaLogic, including Delta Force.[20] In December 2016, THQ Nordic announced that it had acquired Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy from Mobile Gaming Studios, as well as Legends of War and War Leaders: Clash of Nations from Enigma Software Productions.[21] Sometime in late 2016, THQ Nordic launched Mirage Game Studios in Karlstad, Sweden.[22]

In February 2017, THQ Nordic announced that it, alongside Digital Continue, was developing a remaster of Lock's Quest with a tentative release in April 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[23] In March 2017, THQ Nordic announced a remastered version of Baja: Edge of Control, titled Baja: Edge of Control HD, a port of De Blob for Microsoft Windows, developed by BlitWorks, and Sine Mora EX, an extended version of Sine Mora, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[24][25] Later that month, THQ Nordic also acquired the in-development Rad Rodgers, overtaking publishing on behalf of developer Slipgate Studios.[26] In May 2017, THQ Nordic announced a new game, Darksiders III, developed by Gunfire Games, which was composed of former employees from original Darksiders developer Vigil Games.[27] In August 2017, THQ Nordic acquired German developer Black Forest Games for 1.35 million and Swedish developer Pieces Interactive for 2.8 million kr.[28][29] This was followed by the acquisition of Experiment 101, the Swedish developer behind the in-development Biomutant, for 75.3 million kr in November 2017.[30]

In March 2018, after Activision's licence for games on Nickelodeon properties had expired, THQ Nordic announced a partnership with Nickelodeon that would allow them to re-release sixteen Nickelodeon games previously published by THQ.[31] In July 2018, THQ Nordic acquired German mobile game developer-publisher HandyGames for €1 million in cash and a performance-based earn-out of up to €1.5 million.[32][33] In August 2018, THQ Nordic announced that it had acquired the rights to Second Sight and the TimeSplitters franchise from Crytek.[34] In September, THQ Nordic acquired the intellectual property to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, including the cancelled Project Copernicus, from 38 Studios, as well as Act of War and the Alone in the Dark franchise from Atari.[35][36]

In November 2018, THQ Nordic acquired a 90% stake in Finnish developer Bugbear Entertainment, including all of its intellectual property, for an undisclosed sum, leaving open the option to purchase the remaining 10% at a later point in time.[37] That same month, THQ Nordic acquired the Expeditions franchise, including Expeditions: Conquistador and Expeditions: Viking, and announced that it was working with series creator Logic Artists to develop a third game in the series.[38] In December 2018, THQ Nordic acquired the Carmageddon franchise from Stainless Games, which itself had bought the franchise in 2011.[39]

In January 2019, THQ Nordic acquired the rights to the Outcast franchise from Belgian developer Appeal.[40] In May 2019, the publisher acquired Piranha Bytes.[41] In August 2019, THQ Nordic acquired American developer Gunfire Games, which had worked with THQ Nordic on the release of Darksiders III.[42] Nine Rocks Games, an in-house studio based in Bratislava, Slovakia, and led by David Durcak of DayZ, was established by THQ Nordic in February 2020 to work on "shooter/survival" games.[43]

In May 2020, THQ Nordic and Koch Media, another Embracer Group arm, exchanged several intellectual property rights: THQ Nordic received Risen, Rush for Berlin, Sacred, Second Sight, and Singles: Flirt Up Your Life, while handing off Red Faction and Painkiller to Koch Media's Deep Silver label.[44]

After previously seeking player opinion on a possible Gothic remake as early as 2019,[45] THQ Nordic announced in March 2021 that it had established Alkimia Interactive in Barcelona to lead development on this project.[46]

THQ announced the acquisition of Kaiko, Appeal Studios, and Massive Miniteam (Pulheim-based porting studio) in May 2021, along with the creation of distributor THQ Nordic France SAS and animation technical division Gate 21 d.o.o.[47]

On February 24, 2022, THQNordic announced the acquisition of Frankfurt-based Metricminds, a motion capture and animation studio that has worked on THQNordic games like Destroy All Humans! Remake, Darksiders III and Remnant: From The Ashes.

In June 2023, Campfire Cabal was closed with all its employees being laid off.[48]

Controversy edit

On 26 February 2019, THQ Nordic's public relations and marketing director, Philipp Brock, and business and product development director Reinhard Pollice, hosted an "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) questions-and-answers session on 8chan, a controversial imageboard website commonly associated with child pornography, racism and hate speech, including the Gamergate controversy.[49] The AMA was announced by Brock through THQ Nordic's Twitter account, and after receiving initial criticism for using the controversial website as host for the AMA, explained that a person named Mark would "take care of the nasty stuff".[50] On 8chan, both Brock and Pollice interacted with users asking about controversial topics, such as "lolis" and "social justice warriors", garnering further criticism.[51]

After widespread criticism, Brock apologised on THQ Nordic's Twitter account, writing that he did not research the site's history and that he did not "condone child pornography, white supremacy, or racism".[52] Lars Wingefors, the co-founder and chief executive officer of THQ Nordic AB, apologised for the event in early March.[53]

Games edit

Subsidiaries edit

THQ Nordic operates several development studios, as well as two international distribution arms: THQ Nordic Inc. in the United States (established in 2012) and THQ Nordic Japan KK in Japan (established in 2019).[54]

Name Location Founded Acquired Ref.
Alkimia Interactive Barcelona 2018 [45][55][46]
Appeal Studios Belgium 2018 2021 [47]
Ashborne Games Brno 2020 [56]
Black Forest Games Offenburg July 2012 August 2017 [57][28]
Bugbear Entertainment Helsinki 2000 November 2018 [37]
Experiment 101 Stockholm 2015 November 2017 [30]
Gate21 d.o.o. Sarajevo 2021 [47]
Grimlore Games Munich December 2013 [12]
Gunfire Games Austin, Texas 2014 August 2019 [42]
HandyGames Giebelstadt 2000 July 2018 [32]
Kaiko Frankfurt 2014 2021 [47]
Metricminds Frankfurt 2001 February 2022 [58]
Mirage Game Studios Karlstad 2016 [22]
Nine Rocks Games Bratislava February 2020 [43]
Pieces Interactive Skövde 2007 August 2017 [29]
Piranha Bytes Essen 1997 May 2019 [41]
Pow Wow Entertainment Vienna 2019 August 2020 [59]
Purple Lamp 2018 November 2020 [60]
Rainbow Studios Phoenix, Arizona 2013[a] [63]
THQ Nordic France SAS Paris 2021 [47]

Former edit

Name Location Founded Acquired Divested Fate Ref.
Campfire Cabal Copenhagen September 2022 June 2023 Defunct [65][48]
Foxglove Studios Stockholm, Sweden 2016 2019 Sold off [66][67]

Notes edit

  1. ^ The original incarnation of Rainbow Studios was owned by THQ; it was renamed THQ Digital Studios Phoenix in February 2010 and closed down completely in August 2011.[61][62] After THQ Nordic, then Nordic Games, had acquired the Rainbow Studios-developed MX vs. ATV franchise from THQ's bankruptcy auction, the company opted to resurrect Rainbow Studios that same year in its original location with at least eight former Rainbow Studios staff members.[63][64]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Embracer Annual Report & Sustainability Report 2021-2022" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  2. ^ Cifaldi, Frank (16 August 2011). "Nordic Games Saves JoWood From Insolvency With Acquisition". Gamasutra. from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Årsredovisning – Nordic Games Licensing AB" [Annual report – Nordic Games Licensing AB] (PDF) (in Swedish). Embracer Group. 7 June 2016. pp. 2–3. (PDF) from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  4. ^ Tach, Dave (22 April 2013). "Who is Nordic Games?". Polygon. from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  5. ^ Martin, Matt (16 August 2011). "Nordic Games acquires JoWood and The Adventure Company". GamesIndustry.biz. from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  6. ^ Leo, Jon (17 August 2011). "Nordic Games Holding acquires JoWood and The Adventure Company". GameSpot. from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  7. ^ . Nordic Games Group. Archived from the original on 31 July 2016.
  8. ^ Calvin, Alex (24 September 2014). "Nordic Games on publishing big IP for less". MCV/Develop. from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  9. ^ McWhertor, Michael (22 April 2013). "Nordic Games acquires THQ's Darksiders, Red Faction and more in $4.9M bid". Polygon. from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  10. ^ Futter, Mike (23 April 2013). "'We've Been In Conversation With THQ Since January,' Says Nordic Games CEO". Game Informer. from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  11. ^ Sarkar, Samit (24 June 2013). "Nordic Games acquires rights to Atari's Desperados and Silver". Polygon. from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  12. ^ a b Kleffmann, Marcel (24 November 2014). "Grimlore Games entwickelt SpellForce 3" [Grimlore Games develops SpellForce 3]. 4Players (in German). from the original on 26 November 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  13. ^ Handrahan, Matthew (24 November 2014). "Nordic Games opens new Munich studio". GamesIndustry.biz. from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  14. ^ Suszek, Mike (12 May 2014). "Nordic acquires adventure games from Awesomenauts publisher". Engadget. from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  15. ^ Sarkar, Samit (2 July 2015). "ELEX is the next game from the studio behind Risen". Polygon. from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  16. ^ Parfitt, Ben (5 August 2015). "Nordic swoops for BitComposer licenses, including Jagged Alliance". MCV/Develop. from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  17. ^ Calvin, Alex (3 February 2016). "Nordic Games buys Digital Reality IP including Sine Mora". MCV/Develop. from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  18. ^ a b Frank, Allegra (16 August 2016). "THQ Nordic is ready to prove itself after a big name change". Polygon. from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  19. ^ "THQ Nordic AB (publ) – Interim Report – 1 January—30 September 2016" (PDF). Embracer Group. 25 October 2016. p. 4. (PDF) from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  20. ^ Donnelly, Joe (31 October 2016). "THQ Nordic buys Delta Force and the rest of NovaLogic's back catalogue". PC Gamer. from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  21. ^ Minotti, Mike (5 December 2016). "THQ Nordic acquires more franchises to prepare for the Nintendo Switch". VentureBeat. from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  22. ^ a b Lemne, Bengt (18 January 2017). "THQ Nordic opens a new studio in Sweden". Gamereactor. from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  23. ^ "Cool Nintendo DS game Lock's Quest coming to PC, PS4 and Xbox One". Eurogamer. 17 February 2017. from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  24. ^ Miller, Daniel R. (5 March 2017). "Off-road racer Baja: Edge of Control getting an HD remaster". GameZone. from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  25. ^ Orry, James (3 March 2017). "de Blob is back with first ever PC release". VideoGamer.com. from the original on 13 June 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  26. ^ Batchelor, James (31 March 2017). "THQ Nordic acquires Slipgate's Rad Rodgers IP". GamesIndustry.biz. from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  27. ^ Pearce, Alanah (2 May 2017). "Darksiders 3 Announced – IGN First". IGN. from the original on 3 May 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  28. ^ a b "THQ Nordic kauft Black Forest Games" [THQ Nordic buys Black Forest Games]. GamesWirtschaft (in German). 21 August 2017. from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  29. ^ a b Lemne, Bengt (28 August 2017). "THQ Nordic picks up Pieces Interactive". Gamereactor. from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  30. ^ a b Kerr, Chris (17 November 2017). "THQ Nordic acquires Biomutant developer Experiment 101". Gamasutra. from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  31. ^ Frank, Allegra (21 March 2018). "Classic Nickelodeon games are returning, thanks to THQ Nordic". Polygon. from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  32. ^ a b McAloon, Alissa (9 July 2018). "THQ Nordic acquires German developer and publisher HandyGames". Gamasutra. from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  33. ^ "THQ Nordic acquires the German game developer and publisher HandyGames" (PDF). Cision. 9 July 2018. (PDF) from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  34. ^ Khan, Imran (15 August 2018). "THQ Nordic Acquires The Timesplitters And Second Sight Properties". Game Informer. from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  35. ^ Good, Owen S. (6 September 2018). "THQ Nordic picks up Kingdoms of Amalur IP from 38 Studios' wreckage". Polygon. from the original on 11 November 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  36. ^ Prescott, Shaun (19 September 2018). "Alone in the Dark is now a THQ Nordic series". PC Gamer. from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  37. ^ a b Batchelor, James (14 November 2018). "THQ Nordic acquires Bugbear Entertainment and Coffee Stain studios". GamesIndustry.biz. from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  38. ^ Minotti, Mike (15 November 2018). "THQ Nordic acquires Expeditions series and starts on third game". VentureBeat. from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  39. ^ O'Connor, Alice (3 December 2018). "Smash! Bash! Cash! THQ Nordic buy Carmageddon". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  40. ^ O'Connor, Alice (10 January 2019). "Cutter paid: THQ Nordic buy Outcast rights". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  41. ^ a b Handrahan, Matthew (22 May 2019). "THQ Nordic acquires Gothic developer Piranha Bytes". GamesIndustry.biz. from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  42. ^ a b Romano, Sal (14 August 2019). "THQ Nordic acquires Gunfire Games". Gematsu. from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  43. ^ a b Romano, Sal (10 February 2020). "THQ Nordic establishes Slovakia-based Nine Rocks Games to develop shooter / survival game". Gematsu. from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  44. ^ Wood, Austin (5 May 2020). "Red Faction, Painkiller, Risen and more get closer to home in THQ Nordic and Koch Media IP trade". GamesRadar+. from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  45. ^ a b "Press releases - Is it a Gothic Remake? Not yet, but it can become one: THQ Nordic releases playable prototype on Steam, asks for the player's opinion". Gamasutra. 13 December 2019. from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  46. ^ a b Kerr, Chris (11 March 2021). "THQ Nordic forms Barcelona studio Alkimia to create Gothic Remake". Gamasutra. from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  47. ^ a b c d e Sinclair, Brendan (11 May 2021). "THQ Nordic acquires Kaiko, Appeal, and Massive Miniteam". GamesIndustry.biz. from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  48. ^ a b "Embracer Group Is Starting to Close Studios After Losing Out on Deal Worth Billions". 4 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  49. ^ Klepek, Patrick; Walker, Austin (26 February 2019). "THQ Nordic Held Q&A on a Website Banned for Suspected Child Pornography". Waypoint. from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  50. ^ Phillips, Tom (27 February 2019). ""I do not condone child pornography, white supremacy, or racism"". Eurogamer. from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  51. ^ Grayson, Nathan (26 February 2019). "Video Game Publisher Apologizes After Hosting AMA On 8Chan". Kotaku. from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  52. ^ Valentine, Rebekah (26 February 2019). "THQ Nordic holds AMA on imageboard known for child porn". GamesIndustry.biz. from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  53. ^ McWhertor, Michael (4 March 2019). "THQ Nordic CEO apologizes for company's 8chan event". Polygon. from the original on 10 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  54. ^ Batchelor, James (21 October 2019). "THQ Nordic expands to Japan". GamesIndustry.biz. from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  55. ^ "Boletín Oficial Del Registro Mercantil" (PDF). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado. 27 October 2020. (PDF) from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  56. ^ "Embracer Group's Q2 Press Releases" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  57. ^ Gera, Emily (13 July 2012). "'Gothic 4' developer emerges from insolvency as Black Forest Games". Polygon. from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  58. ^ "THQ Nordic acquires animated content studio metricminds". Gematsu. 24 February 2022. from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  59. ^ Kerr, Chris (13 August 2020). "THQ parent company Embracer has purchased Metro dev 4A Games and others". Gamasutra. from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  60. ^ "Embracer Group acquires Purple Lamp Studios". Embracer Group. from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  61. ^ Corriea, Alexa Ray (20 December 2013). "Nordic Games developing new MX vs. ATV launching early next year". Polygon. from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  62. ^ O'Grady, Patrick (16 August 2011). "THQ closing Phoenix game development operations, cutting 48 jobs". The Business Journals. from the original on 29 April 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  63. ^ a b Crecente, Brian (15 May 2014). "MX vs. ATV Supercross is playable at E3". Polygon. from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  64. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (20 December 2013). "Nordic bringing back MX vs. ATV". GamesIndustry.biz. from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  65. ^ Rousseau, Jeffrey (13 September 2022). "THQ Nordic launches new studio Campfire Cabal". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  66. ^ Wingefors, Lars (20 April 2018). "THQ Nordic Annual Report 2017" (PDF). Cision. (PDF) from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  67. ^ Wingefors, Lars (27 August 2019). "THQ Nordic Annual Report 2018/19" (PDF). Cision. (PDF) from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.

External links edit

  • Official website

nordic, swedish, holding, company, formerly, named, embracer, group, gmbh, formerly, nordic, games, gmbh, austrian, video, game, publisher, based, vienna, formed, 2011, publishing, subsidiary, embracer, group, originally, named, nordic, games, parent, company,. For the Swedish holding company formerly named THQ Nordic see Embracer Group THQ Nordic GmbH formerly Nordic Games GmbH is an Austrian video game publisher based in Vienna Formed in 2011 it is a publishing subsidiary of Embracer Group Originally named Nordic Games as was the parent company both companies were renamed THQ Nordic in August 2016 after the parent company had acquired the THQ trademark in 2014 THQ Nordic GmbHLogo in use since August 2016FormerlyNordic Games GmbH 2011 2016 Company typeSubsidiaryIndustryVideo gamesFounded2011 13 years ago 2011 HeadquartersVienna AustriaArea servedWorldwideKey peopleKlemens Kreuzer CEO Reinhard Pollice director of business and product development ProductsSee List of THQ Nordic gamesRevenue 161 million 1 2022 Number of employees988 1 2022 ParentEmbracer GroupSubsidiariesSee SubsidiariesWebsitethqnordic wbr com The company publishes licensed games from entertainment companies such as AEW Nickelodeon Lucasfilm Ltd Comedy Central and Disney while maintaining its own development studios and IP publishing franchises like Destroy All Humans Darksiders Alone in the Dark SpellForce and Gothic THQ Nordic s core portfolio comprises assets that were acquired from other developers and publishers such as from JoWooD Entertainment and its subsidiaries DreamCatcher Interactive and The Adventure Company in 2011 THQ in 2013 and NovaLogic in 2016 THQ Nordic has acquired and established several subsidiary studios including Black Forest Games Bugbear Entertainment Gunfire Games HandyGames Piranha Bytes Purple Lamp and Rainbow Studios Contents 1 History 1 1 As Nordic Games GmbH 2011 2016 1 2 As THQ Nordic GmbH 2016 present 2 Controversy 3 Games 4 Subsidiaries 4 1 Former 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksHistory editAs Nordic Games GmbH 2011 2016 edit nbsp Former Nordic Games logo 2011 2016 Nordic Games GmbH was founded in 2011 as part of the Nordic Games Holding group 2 Within this group Nordic Games became a subsidiary of Nordic Games Licensing which was established in the same year 3 4 In June 2011 Nordic Games Holding acquired assets from JoWooD and its affiliate companies DreamCatcher Interactive and The Adventure Company including their brands and products Nordic Games 5 6 Several former JoWooD employees were hired by Nordic Games to work on sales of JoWooD s former properties and Nordic Games Group s former publishing arm Nordic Games Publishing was integrated into the new Nordic Games to facilitate operations 7 Darksiders is a top product THQ spent 50m making Darksiders 2 We can produce a product of the same quality but for a lower cost 50m is ridiculous I can t afford that Many of our IPs will only generate 50k a year but it s still money Sure it s amounts that EA and the big guys wouldn t care about but now we have hundreds of IPs and in a few years we ll have a few hundred more It will add up to something much bigger Lars Wingefors 8 In April 2013 Nordic Games acquired all left over properties from the bankruptcy auctions of American video game publisher THQ for US 4 9 million Included in the deal were over 150 individual games including the Darksiders Red Faction and MX vs ATV franchises 9 10 In June 2013 Nordic Games acquired the Desperados franchise comprising Desperados Wanted Dead or Alive and Desperados 2 Cooper s Revenge as well as the game Silver from Atari 11 In December 2013 Nordic Games launched Grimlore Games a video game developer composed of former Coreplay employees based in Munich Germany 12 13 In May 2014 Nordic Games acquired the intellectual property for The Moment of Silence The Mystery of the Druids and Curse of the Ghost Ship as well as the publishing rights to Overclocked A History of Violence and 15 Days from bankrupt German publisher DTP Entertainment 14 In July 2015 Nordic Games and developer Piranha Bytes announced ELEX an original action role playing game 15 The following month Nordic Games acquired a number of franchises from bankrupt German publisher bitComposer Entertainment including the Jagged Alliance franchise 16 In February 2016 Nordic Games acquired all intellectual property from Hungarian publisher Digital Reality including Sine Mora 17 As THQ Nordic GmbH 2016 present edit In August 2016 Nordic Games changed its name to THQ Nordic GmbH alongside Nordic Games Licensing AB which became THQ Nordic AB utilising the THQ trademark the parent company had acquired in June 2014 18 19 According to Wingefors and THQ Nordic s Reinhard Pollice the name change was undergone to capitalise on the good reputation of THQ s past although they avoided naming the companies just THQ to avoid connections to THQ s more recent troubled history being made 18 In October 2016 THQ Nordic announced that it had acquired all intellectual property and assets from NovaLogic including Delta Force 20 In December 2016 THQ Nordic announced that it had acquired Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy from Mobile Gaming Studios as well as Legends of War and War Leaders Clash of Nations from Enigma Software Productions 21 Sometime in late 2016 THQ Nordic launched Mirage Game Studios in Karlstad Sweden 22 In February 2017 THQ Nordic announced that it alongside Digital Continue was developing a remaster of Lock s Quest with a tentative release in April 2017 for Microsoft Windows PlayStation 4 and Xbox One 23 In March 2017 THQ Nordic announced a remastered version of Baja Edge of Control titled Baja Edge of Control HD a port of De Blob for Microsoft Windows developed by BlitWorks and Sine Mora EX an extended version of Sine Mora for Microsoft Windows PlayStation 4 and Xbox One 24 25 Later that month THQ Nordic also acquired the in development Rad Rodgers overtaking publishing on behalf of developer Slipgate Studios 26 In May 2017 THQ Nordic announced a new game Darksiders III developed by Gunfire Games which was composed of former employees from original Darksiders developer Vigil Games 27 In August 2017 THQ Nordic acquired German developer Black Forest Games for 1 35 million and Swedish developer Pieces Interactive for 2 8 million kr 28 29 This was followed by the acquisition of Experiment 101 the Swedish developer behind the in development Biomutant for 75 3 million kr in November 2017 30 In March 2018 after Activision s licence for games on Nickelodeon properties had expired THQ Nordic announced a partnership with Nickelodeon that would allow them to re release sixteen Nickelodeon games previously published by THQ 31 In July 2018 THQ Nordic acquired German mobile game developer publisher HandyGames for 1 million in cash and a performance based earn out of up to 1 5 million 32 33 In August 2018 THQ Nordic announced that it had acquired the rights to Second Sight and the TimeSplitters franchise from Crytek 34 In September THQ Nordic acquired the intellectual property to Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning including the cancelled Project Copernicus from 38 Studios as well as Act of War and the Alone in the Dark franchise from Atari 35 36 In November 2018 THQ Nordic acquired a 90 stake in Finnish developer Bugbear Entertainment including all of its intellectual property for an undisclosed sum leaving open the option to purchase the remaining 10 at a later point in time 37 That same month THQ Nordic acquired the Expeditions franchise including Expeditions Conquistador and Expeditions Viking and announced that it was working with series creator Logic Artists to develop a third game in the series 38 In December 2018 THQ Nordic acquired the Carmageddon franchise from Stainless Games which itself had bought the franchise in 2011 39 In January 2019 THQ Nordic acquired the rights to the Outcast franchise from Belgian developer Appeal 40 In May 2019 the publisher acquired Piranha Bytes 41 In August 2019 THQ Nordic acquired American developer Gunfire Games which had worked with THQ Nordic on the release of Darksiders III 42 Nine Rocks Games an in house studio based in Bratislava Slovakia and led by David Durcak of DayZ was established by THQ Nordic in February 2020 to work on shooter survival games 43 In May 2020 THQ Nordic and Koch Media another Embracer Group arm exchanged several intellectual property rights THQ Nordic received Risen Rush for Berlin Sacred Second Sight and Singles Flirt Up Your Life while handing off Red Faction and Painkiller to Koch Media s Deep Silver label 44 After previously seeking player opinion on a possible Gothic remake as early as 2019 45 THQ Nordic announced in March 2021 that it had established Alkimia Interactive in Barcelona to lead development on this project 46 THQ announced the acquisition of Kaiko Appeal Studios and Massive Miniteam Pulheim based porting studio in May 2021 along with the creation of distributor THQ Nordic France SAS and animation technical division Gate 21 d o o 47 On February 24 2022 THQNordic announced the acquisition of Frankfurt based Metricminds a motion capture and animation studio that has worked on THQNordic games like Destroy All Humans Remake Darksiders III and Remnant From The Ashes In June 2023 Campfire Cabal was closed with all its employees being laid off 48 Controversy editOn 26 February 2019 THQ Nordic s public relations and marketing director Philipp Brock and business and product development director Reinhard Pollice hosted an Ask Me Anything AMA questions and answers session on 8chan a controversial imageboard website commonly associated with child pornography racism and hate speech including the Gamergate controversy 49 The AMA was announced by Brock through THQ Nordic s Twitter account and after receiving initial criticism for using the controversial website as host for the AMA explained that a person named Mark would take care of the nasty stuff 50 On 8chan both Brock and Pollice interacted with users asking about controversial topics such as lolis and social justice warriors garnering further criticism 51 After widespread criticism Brock apologised on THQ Nordic s Twitter account writing that he did not research the site s history and that he did not condone child pornography white supremacy or racism 52 Lars Wingefors the co founder and chief executive officer of THQ Nordic AB apologised for the event in early March 53 Games editMain articles List of THQ Nordic games and List of acquisitions by THQ NordicSubsidiaries editTHQ Nordic operates several development studios as well as two international distribution arms THQ Nordic Inc in the United States established in 2012 and THQ Nordic Japan KK in Japan established in 2019 54 Name Location Founded Acquired Ref Alkimia Interactive Barcelona 2018 45 55 46 Appeal Studios Belgium 2018 2021 47 Ashborne Games Brno 2020 56 Black Forest Games Offenburg July 2012 August 2017 57 28 Bugbear Entertainment Helsinki 2000 November 2018 37 Experiment 101 Stockholm 2015 November 2017 30 Gate21 d o o Sarajevo 2021 47 Grimlore Games Munich December 2013 12 Gunfire Games Austin Texas 2014 August 2019 42 HandyGames Giebelstadt 2000 July 2018 32 Kaiko Frankfurt 2014 2021 47 Metricminds Frankfurt 2001 February 2022 58 Mirage Game Studios Karlstad 2016 22 Nine Rocks Games Bratislava February 2020 43 Pieces Interactive Skovde 2007 August 2017 29 Piranha Bytes Essen 1997 May 2019 41 Pow Wow Entertainment Vienna 2019 August 2020 59 Purple Lamp 2018 November 2020 60 Rainbow Studios Phoenix Arizona 2013 a 63 THQ Nordic France SAS Paris 2021 47 Former edit Name Location Founded Acquired Divested Fate Ref Campfire Cabal Copenhagen September 2022 June 2023 Defunct 65 48 Foxglove Studios Stockholm Sweden 2016 2019 Sold off 66 67 Notes edit The original incarnation of Rainbow Studios was owned by THQ it was renamed THQ Digital Studios Phoenix in February 2010 and closed down completely in August 2011 61 62 After THQ Nordic then Nordic Games had acquired the Rainbow Studios developed MX vs ATV franchise from THQ s bankruptcy auction the company opted to resurrect Rainbow Studios that same year in its original location with at least eight former Rainbow Studios staff members 63 64 References edit a b Embracer Annual Report amp Sustainability Report 2021 2022 PDF Archived PDF from the original on 8 July 2022 Retrieved 10 July 2022 Cifaldi Frank 16 August 2011 Nordic Games Saves JoWood From Insolvency With Acquisition Gamasutra Archived from the original on 13 May 2014 Retrieved 16 March 2019 Arsredovisning Nordic Games Licensing AB Annual report Nordic Games Licensing AB PDF in Swedish Embracer Group 7 June 2016 pp 2 3 Archived PDF from the original on 22 December 2021 Retrieved 22 December 2021 Tach Dave 22 April 2013 Who is Nordic Games Polygon Archived from the original on 23 January 2019 Retrieved 22 December 2021 Martin Matt 16 August 2011 Nordic Games acquires JoWood and The Adventure Company GamesIndustry biz Archived from the original on 17 August 2016 Retrieved 17 March 2019 Leo Jon 17 August 2011 Nordic Games Holding acquires JoWood and The Adventure Company GameSpot Archived from the original on 6 March 2019 Retrieved 17 March 2019 Group History Nordic Games Group Archived from the original on 31 July 2016 Calvin Alex 24 September 2014 Nordic Games on publishing big IP for less MCV Develop Archived from the original on 18 August 2022 Retrieved 23 December 2021 McWhertor Michael 22 April 2013 Nordic Games acquires THQ s Darksiders Red Faction and more in 4 9M bid Polygon Archived from the original on 23 January 2019 Retrieved 17 March 2019 Futter Mike 23 April 2013 We ve Been In Conversation With THQ Since January Says Nordic Games CEO Game Informer Archived from the original on 24 June 2021 Retrieved 23 June 2021 Sarkar Samit 24 June 2013 Nordic Games acquires rights to Atari s Desperados and Silver Polygon Archived from the original on 20 June 2018 Retrieved 17 March 2019 a b Kleffmann Marcel 24 November 2014 Grimlore Games entwickelt SpellForce 3 Grimlore Games develops SpellForce 3 4Players in German Archived from the original on 26 November 2014 Retrieved 14 August 2019 Handrahan Matthew 24 November 2014 Nordic Games opens new Munich studio GamesIndustry biz Archived from the original on 20 June 2018 Retrieved 17 March 2019 Suszek Mike 12 May 2014 Nordic acquires adventure games from Awesomenauts publisher Engadget Archived from the original on 4 January 2017 Retrieved 3 January 2017 Sarkar Samit 2 July 2015 ELEX is the next game from the studio behind Risen Polygon Archived from the original on 17 August 2018 Retrieved 17 March 2019 Parfitt Ben 5 August 2015 Nordic swoops for BitComposer licenses including Jagged Alliance MCV Develop Archived from the original on 22 June 2021 Retrieved 23 December 2021 Calvin Alex 3 February 2016 Nordic Games buys Digital Reality IP including Sine Mora MCV Develop Archived from the original on 22 June 2021 Retrieved 23 December 2021 a b Frank Allegra 16 August 2016 THQ Nordic is ready to prove itself after a big name change Polygon Archived from the original on 27 October 2018 Retrieved 17 March 2019 THQ Nordic AB publ Interim Report 1 January 30 September 2016 PDF Embracer Group 25 October 2016 p 4 Archived PDF from the original on 22 December 2021 Retrieved 22 December 2021 Donnelly Joe 31 October 2016 THQ Nordic buys Delta Force and the rest of NovaLogic s back catalogue PC Gamer Archived from the original on 19 July 2018 Retrieved 17 March 2019 Minotti Mike 5 December 2016 THQ Nordic acquires more franchises to prepare for the Nintendo Switch VentureBeat Archived from the original on 4 February 2018 Retrieved 15 September 2017 a b Lemne Bengt 18 January 2017 THQ Nordic opens a new studio in Sweden Gamereactor Archived from the original on 3 May 2019 Retrieved 3 May 2019 Cool Nintendo DS game Lock s Quest coming to PC PS4 and Xbox One Eurogamer 17 February 2017 Archived from the original on 31 August 2018 Retrieved 17 March 2019 Miller Daniel R 5 March 2017 Off road racer Baja Edge of Control getting an HD remaster GameZone Archived from the original on 26 February 2020 Retrieved 17 March 2019 Orry James 3 March 2017 de Blob is back with first ever PC release VideoGamer com Archived from the original on 13 June 2017 Retrieved 17 March 2019 Batchelor James 31 March 2017 THQ Nordic acquires Slipgate s Rad Rodgers IP GamesIndustry biz Archived from the original on 25 December 2017 Retrieved 17 March 2019 Pearce Alanah 2 May 2017 Darksiders 3 Announced IGN First IGN Archived from the original on 3 May 2017 Retrieved 17 March 2019 a b THQ Nordic kauft Black Forest Games THQ Nordic buys Black Forest Games GamesWirtschaft in German 21 August 2017 Archived from the original on 20 June 2018 Retrieved 17 March 2019 a b Lemne Bengt 28 August 2017 THQ Nordic picks up Pieces Interactive Gamereactor Archived from the original on 29 August 2017 Retrieved 29 August 2017 a b Kerr Chris 17 November 2017 THQ Nordic acquires Biomutant developer Experiment 101 Gamasutra Archived from the original on 12 May 2018 Retrieved 11 May 2018 Frank Allegra 21 March 2018 Classic Nickelodeon games are returning thanks to THQ Nordic Polygon Archived from the original on 5 November 2018 Retrieved 17 March 2019 a b McAloon Alissa 9 July 2018 THQ Nordic acquires German developer and publisher HandyGames Gamasutra Archived from the original on 29 May 2019 Retrieved 17 March 2019 THQ Nordic acquires the German game developer and publisher HandyGames PDF Cision 9 July 2018 Archived PDF from the original on 20 September 2019 Retrieved 17 March 2019 Khan Imran 15 August 2018 THQ Nordic Acquires The Timesplitters And Second Sight Properties Game Informer Archived from the original on 5 October 2018 Retrieved 17 March 2019 Good Owen S 6 September 2018 THQ Nordic picks up Kingdoms of Amalur IP from 38 Studios wreckage Polygon Archived from the original on 11 November 2018 Retrieved 17 March 2019 Prescott Shaun 19 September 2018 Alone in the Dark is now a THQ Nordic series PC Gamer Archived from the original on 24 September 2018 Retrieved 17 March 2019 a b Batchelor James 14 November 2018 THQ Nordic acquires Bugbear Entertainment and Coffee Stain studios GamesIndustry biz Archived from the original on 23 April 2019 Retrieved 17 March 2019 Minotti Mike 15 November 2018 THQ Nordic acquires Expeditions series and starts on third game VentureBeat Archived from the original on 15 November 2018 Retrieved 15 November 2018 O Connor Alice 3 December 2018 Smash Bash Cash THQ Nordic buy Carmageddon Rock Paper Shotgun Archived from the original on 23 March 2019 Retrieved 17 March 2019 O Connor Alice 10 January 2019 Cutter paid THQ Nordic buy Outcast rights Rock Paper Shotgun Archived from the original on 26 March 2019 Retrieved 17 March 2019 a b Handrahan Matthew 22 May 2019 THQ Nordic acquires Gothic developer Piranha Bytes GamesIndustry biz Archived from the original on 29 May 2019 Retrieved 22 May 2019 a b Romano Sal 14 August 2019 THQ Nordic acquires Gunfire Games Gematsu Archived from the original on 14 August 2019 Retrieved 14 August 2019 a b Romano Sal 10 February 2020 THQ Nordic establishes Slovakia based Nine Rocks Games to develop shooter survival game Gematsu Archived from the original on 14 February 2020 Retrieved 10 February 2020 Wood Austin 5 May 2020 Red Faction Painkiller Risen and more get closer to home in THQ Nordic and Koch Media IP trade GamesRadar Archived from the original on 16 May 2020 Retrieved 15 May 2020 a b Press releases Is it a Gothic Remake Not yet but it can become one THQ Nordic releases playable prototype on Steam asks for the player s opinion Gamasutra 13 December 2019 Archived from the original on 14 December 2019 Retrieved 17 February 2020 a b Kerr Chris 11 March 2021 THQ Nordic forms Barcelona studio Alkimia to create Gothic Remake Gamasutra Archived from the original on 11 March 2021 Retrieved 11 March 2021 a b c d e Sinclair Brendan 11 May 2021 THQ Nordic acquires Kaiko Appeal and Massive Miniteam GamesIndustry biz Archived from the original on 11 May 2021 Retrieved 11 May 2021 a b Embracer Group Is Starting to Close Studios After Losing Out on Deal Worth Billions 4 August 2023 Retrieved 6 August 2023 Klepek Patrick Walker Austin 26 February 2019 THQ Nordic Held Q amp A on a Website Banned for Suspected Child Pornography Waypoint Archived from the original on 27 February 2019 Retrieved 28 February 2019 Phillips Tom 27 February 2019 I do not condone child pornography white supremacy or racism Eurogamer Archived from the original on 28 February 2019 Retrieved 28 February 2019 Grayson Nathan 26 February 2019 Video Game Publisher Apologizes After Hosting AMA On 8Chan Kotaku Archived from the original on 27 February 2019 Retrieved 28 February 2019 Valentine Rebekah 26 February 2019 THQ Nordic holds AMA on imageboard known for child porn GamesIndustry biz Archived from the original on 6 March 2019 Retrieved 2 March 2019 McWhertor Michael 4 March 2019 THQ Nordic CEO apologizes for company s 8chan event Polygon Archived from the original on 10 March 2019 Retrieved 17 March 2019 Batchelor James 21 October 2019 THQ Nordic expands to Japan GamesIndustry biz Archived from the original on 21 October 2019 Retrieved 21 October 2019 Boletin Oficial Del Registro Mercantil PDF Agencia Estatal Boletin Oficial del Estado 27 October 2020 Archived PDF from the original on 24 January 2021 Retrieved 18 November 2020 Embracer Group s Q2 Press Releases PDF Archived PDF from the original on 28 November 2020 Retrieved 18 November 2020 Gera Emily 13 July 2012 Gothic 4 developer emerges from insolvency as Black Forest Games Polygon Archived from the original on 17 June 2019 Retrieved 17 June 2019 THQ Nordic acquires animated content studio metricminds Gematsu 24 February 2022 Archived from the original on 24 February 2022 Retrieved 24 February 2022 Kerr Chris 13 August 2020 THQ parent company Embracer has purchased Metro dev 4A Games and others Gamasutra Archived from the original on 15 August 2020 Retrieved 13 August 2020 Embracer Group acquires Purple Lamp Studios Embracer Group Archived from the original on 19 November 2020 Retrieved 18 November 2020 Corriea Alexa Ray 20 December 2013 Nordic Games developing new MX vs ATV launching early next year Polygon Archived from the original on 23 July 2019 Retrieved 23 July 2019 O Grady Patrick 16 August 2011 THQ closing Phoenix game development operations cutting 48 jobs The Business Journals Archived from the original on 29 April 2017 Retrieved 23 July 2019 a b Crecente Brian 15 May 2014 MX vs ATV Supercross is playable at E3 Polygon Archived from the original on 23 July 2019 Retrieved 23 July 2019 Sinclair Brendan 20 December 2013 Nordic bringing back MX vs ATV GamesIndustry biz Archived from the original on 23 July 2019 Retrieved 23 July 2019 Rousseau Jeffrey 13 September 2022 THQ Nordic launches new studio Campfire Cabal GamesIndustry biz Retrieved 14 September 2022 Wingefors Lars 20 April 2018 THQ Nordic Annual Report 2017 PDF Cision Archived PDF from the original on 17 May 2018 Retrieved 15 September 2019 Wingefors Lars 27 August 2019 THQ Nordic Annual Report 2018 19 PDF Cision Archived PDF from the original on 3 September 2019 Retrieved 14 September 2019 External links editOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title THQ Nordic amp oldid 1209597250, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.