The Rise and Fall of Embracer (aka THQ Nordic)

[deuxhero]

Problem is the Marvel license.

 

[Rahdulan]

Now they have acquired Kingdom of Amalur and the canceled MMO Project Copernicus: https://thqnordic.com/node/301

I just hope they don't get the idea of trying to establish themselves as a big boy publisher and revive the MMORPG. That shit has already sailed.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/...r-remaster-would-require-the-go-ahead-from-ea

A THQ Nordic Kingdoms of Amalur remaster would require the go-ahead from EA

Dormant-brand vacuum THQ Nordic sucked up another surprising IP last week: Kingdoms of Amalur, the accomplished but bland fantasy role-playing game from 2012.

THQ Nordic didn't say what it was going to do with the IP but did mention wanting to get in touch with EA, the original publisher of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. And now I know why.

"EA still has the publishing rights to Reckoning," THQ Nordic told me in an email. I expect it means any potential remasters or re-releases will depend on getting EA's go-ahead first. "About any other details about the relationship between EA and 38 Studios we can't comment."

THQ Nordic added: "At this stage we 'only' acquired the intellectual property. Given our track record, we know what the burning questions (remaster, remake, port to current-gen systems etc.) are, but we decided do not answer those specifically as we tend to put our heads together first and then do our homework, and only start to talk about anything once we feel confident and very familiar with the franchise."

THQ Nordic bought the Amalur rights from 38 Studios, the company belonging to former baseball pro Curt Schilling, and the company which collapsed after defaulting on loans provided by Rhode Island State. 38 Studios mostly paid for the game, you see - EA Partners, the label the game was released on, was a more of a stood-back publishing operation.

38 Studios' collapse meant pre-production on Kingdoms of Amalur 2 had to be scrapped, as did - more importantly - the considerable work done on Project Copernicus, the Kingdoms of Amalur MMO. Should THQ Nordic wish to resurrect either project, presumably the way will be clear - I can't imagine there being any publishing attachment to EA - but doing so will be expensive and take time.

Whether THQ Nordic intends to bring back Amalur in a big new way, rather than as a remaster, we'll have to wait and see, but the company's ambitions appear to rise with every passing month. Earlier this year, THQ Nordic splashed €121 million acquiring Koch Media/Deep Silver - a deal which included Saints Row developer Volition and the IP; Metro Exodus; the next triple-A game from Dambuster, the Homefront studio; and Dead Island 2, apparently, is alive. In other words, THQ Nordic seems intent on making more than current-gen remasters like Darksiders 2: The Deathfinitive Edition.

 

[PulsatingBrain]

I just hope they don't get the idea of trying to establish themselves as a big boy publisher and revive the MMORPG. That shit has already sailed.

"The shit has sailed"

Spoiler

Don't know why that tickled me so much

 

[Infinitron]

The empire continues to grow: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/artic...dic-acquires-alone-in-the-dark-and-act-of-war

THQ Nordic acquires Alone in the Dark and Act of War
Acquisition spree continues for Austrian publisher with rights to survival horror, RTS IP from Atari

THQ Nordic continues its spree of acquisitions today, finalizing the acquisition of Alone in the Dark and Act of War from Atari Europe SAS.

The acquisition is being managed by THQ Nordic AB in Karlstad, Sweden, though daily operations will take place at the Austrian HQ.

Survival horror Alone in the Dark comes with a solid history of three original numbered titles plus a spin-off, a 2001 Darkworks-developed PlayStation release, a 2008 Eden Games-developed series revamp, and most recently a 2015 online-only release from Pure FPS. The series was originally inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's works, and its first entry has the honor of being the Guinness-awarded "First Ever 3D Survival Horror Game."

Act of War is somewhat less historied as a single RTS game made in 2005 by Eugen Systems. The game's story was written by retired US Air Force captain and author Dale Brown.

This acquisition is but the latest in a string from THQ Nordic of late. This year alone, the Austrian publisher has picked up Koch Media (including Deep Silver with Metro and Saints Row), HandyGames, TimeSplitters, Second Sight, and Kingdoms of Amalur.

But they should have gotten Master of Magic while they were at it. One of the last classic PC games that Atari still owns.

 

[LESS T_T]

Well why won't they buy Blood too. (Nightdive wanted to buy Blood from Atari, but reportedly it was too expensive for them. I don't think Blood IP could be expensive than AitD.) Maybe too retro for them?

 

[Infinitron]

Well why won't they buy Blood too. (Nightdive wanted to buy Blood from Atari, but reportedly it was too expensive for them. I don't think Blood IP could be expensive than AitD.) Maybe too retro for them?

Yes, how could I forget Blood.

There's also Infogrames' Lovecraftian adventure games - Shadow of the Comet and Prisoner of Ice. (part of the Alone in the Dark package? Doesn't seem like it)

 

[deuxhero]

For that matter couldn't they have grabbed the Temple of Elemental Evil distribution rights? Tim Cain owns the source code and wants to release it. Surely all they'd need to do to get it for making a rerelease is release it afterwards.

 

[Infinitron]

For that matter couldn't they have grabbed the Temple of Elemental Evil distribution rights? Tim Cain owns the source code and wants to release it. Surely all they'd need to do to get it for making a rerelease is release it afterwards.

Not Atari. All the D&D game rights reverted to Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro a long time ago.

 

[sullynathan]

Saints Row 2 really deserves a non-shit PC port

STEAM Version is fine

 

[PulsatingBrain]

Saints Row 2 really deserves a non-shit PC port

STEAM Version is fine

I tapped out a few hours in due to frequent crashes and quest bugs. Seems like a complete coin-toss with the pc version. I know people who've had no issues also. Weird

 

[sullynathan]

Saints Row 2 really deserves a non-shit PC port

STEAM Version is fine

I tapped out a few hours in due to frequent crashes and quest bugs. Seems like a complete coin-toss with the pc version. I know people who've had no issues also. Weird

GOG version ran poorly but STEAM was fine for me

 

[Don Peste]

Number 6

 

[MicoSelva]

Not sure what the origin of the rumour is, but some speculate that THQ Nordic is buying all these studios and IPs mostly to increase their market worth and sell itself for as much as possible to another, bigger publisher (or possibly some mass media conglomerate like Vivendi), and not to make new entries on all these long-dormant game series.

Hopefully, this is not the case.

I heard about this in the podcast linked below (between 4th and 20th minute).

 

[unfairlight]

Not sure what the origin of the rumour is, but some speculate that THQ Nordic is buying all these studios and IPs mostly to increase their market worth and sell itself for as much as possible to another, bigger publisher (or possibly some mass media conglomerate like Vivendi), and not to make new entries on all these long-dormant game series.

Highly doubt. Lars is someone that appears to be really proud of what he made and I think he will prefer keeping it under its own wing.

 

[LESS T_T]

https://www.thqnordic.com/article/thq-nordic-acquires-wreckfest-developer-bugbear-entertainment

THQ Nordic acquires “Wreckfest”-developer Bugbear Entertainment
November 14, 2018

The acquisition includes the development studio and all intellectual property rights

Karlstad, SWEDEN, Helsinki, FINLAND, November 14th 2018; THQ Nordic today announced the completion of the acquisition of Bugbear, an experienced and world leading creator of niched racing games built on their proprietary game engine enabled with vehicle destruction physics tools. One of its recent games, Wreckfest, a demolition derby themed racing title, was successfully released for PC on Steam in June 2018 and is currently being developed to be released on consoles during 2019.

Since June 2017, THQ Nordic stepped in as the publisher for the digital distribution channels for Wreckfest, which has been one of the best performing games published by THQ Nordic on Steam since launch.

THQ Nordic strongly believes in Bugbear’s competence in developing successful action racing games and wants to make long term investments to support Bugbear’s future growth journey.


About Wreckfest
Expect epic crashes, neck-to-neck fights over the finish line and brand-new ways for metal to bend – These are the once-in-a-lifetime moments that can only be achieved in Wreckfest, with its true-to-life physics simulation crafted by legendary developer Bugbear, who also brought you FlatOut 1, 2 and Ultimate Carnage. Burn rubber and shred metal in the ultimate driving playground!

• Awesome Cars – Old, banged-up, patched-together cars that simply ooze style! From old American heavy-hitters to agile Europeans and fun Asians, you won’t find anything like this in other games.
• Meaningful Customization – Change not only the look of your cars but also upgrade their body armor.
• Multiplayer – Wreck your friends online and take racing to the limit while chasing for demolition dominance!

More information on http://www.wreckfestgame.com/

 

[Astral Rag]

They also bought Goat Sim dev Coffee Stain..

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/...est-dev-bugbear-and-goat-sim-dev-coffee-stain

 

[LESS T_T]

I wonder if THQ Nordic also tried to buy Obsidian. A bidding war between MS, Take Two, and THQ Nordic?

 

[unfairlight]

Obsidian is relatively large, like >100 people isn't it? I also doubt that THQ Nordic would want to take up such a risk, since the last 2 games by Obsidian have flopped hard. THQ Nordic also has only bought European studios so far.

 

[LESS T_T]

They have 55 games (of which 35 are unannounced) in development, and still working on more acquisitions: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/artic...rdics-net-sales-up-1-403-percent-to-usd139-5m

THQ Nordic's net sales up 1,403% to $139.5m
Re-releases and Deep Silver titles drive record performance for publisher

The latest financial results for THQ Nordic show a dramatic increase in net sales, with earnings rising across the business.

For the three months ended September 30th, the publisher reported net sales of $139.5 million - a staggering year-on-year increase of 1,403% over the $9.3 million reported for the same period in 2017.

The reason for this growth is THQ's acquisition of Koch Media and Deep Silver earlier this year, effectively doubling the publisher's potential revenues. Titles by this segment saw sales of $27.6 million, with the release of Dakar 18 and Pathfinder Kingmaker cited as key performers - even though the latter launched less than a week before the end of the quarter.

Even without Deep Silver, THQ Nordic's own titles would have driven net sales up 47% year-on-year to $13.6 million. The launch of Titan Quest and Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered (both re-releases of hits from the previous incarnation of THQ) were highlighted as particular successes, as was This Is The Police 2.

Over the quarter, THQ Nordic published five of its own titles and nine from other studios, with the Partner Publisher business enjoying a strong quarter thanks to big releases from partners such as Codemasters, Square Enix and Sega.

Earnings before tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 521% year-on-year from $3.8 million to $23.5 million, while EBIT improved by 278% from $2.6 million to $9.9 million.

THQ Nordic also released interim results for the year so far (from January 1st to September 30th), with net sales up 988% to $300.8 million. EBITDA increased 457% year-on-year to $71 million and EBIT was up 191% to $27.5 million.

The firm also announced alongside its financials that it has acquired Goat Simulator developer Coffee Stain and Wreckfest studio Bugbear Entertainment. It acquired HandyGames earlier in the quarter.

The three-month period also saw THQ Nordic add even more IP to its portfolio with the acquisitions of Alone in the Dark, Kingdoms of Amalur and Timesplitters (the latter through Koch Media).

In his statement, founder and CEO Lars Wingefors dubbed the period "another strong quarter with continued momentum". He also said the publisher has 55 games in development, of which 35 are unannounced, and hinted at more acquisitions to come.

"We are patiently working on adding more great companies into the group, both developers and publishers," he said. "This is a daily proactive activity within the parent company, as well as within both operating groups.

"We are engaging with a large number of companies across the globe with respect to joining the group. I am confident about our strategy and capability to benefit from the ongoing shift in platforms and technologies."

 

[Rahdulan]

Number 6

Out of all of those I think GUN might be a realistic choice, especially if RDR2 rekindles interested in Wild West as a setting. It always struck me as underrated for some reason.

In any case good job with amassing all those licenses, Nordic. Now let's wait and see if they're content just sitting on them.

 

[Life of the Party]

 

[Anthedon]

Where did they get all that cash from?

 

[unfairlight]

THQ Nordic has been playing it smart for a VERY long time. A lot of their money comes from rereleasing their old games on basically every platform imaginable.

 

[a Goat]

Where did they get all that cash from?

Isn't that obvious?

Spoiler

ELEX