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General: THQ Will Cease to Exist in a Few Weeks

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
in News & Features Discussion

After a long battle with solvency, beleaguered THQ will cease to exist in a matter of weeks. Its assets have been sold off and its properties divided among several other companies. In a letter sent out today by the CEO, employees are "expected" to be employed by the new companies but that there are no guarantees.

If you are an employee of an entity that is not included in the sale, we regret that your position will end. A small number of our headquarters staff will continue to be employed by THQ beyond January 25 to assist with the transition. THQ has sufficient resources to pay these employees for work going forward, and we will be contacting these employees immediately to ensure their continued employment during this transition period. We are requesting the ability to offer certain severance pay to minimize disruption for employees of non-included entities as they determine the next steps in their careers.

Read more at Kotaku.

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¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 


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Comments

  • IchmenIchmen Member UncommonPosts: 1,228

    tis very sad news. while thq was having some issues as of later releasing their normal high quality games. they still did a hell of a lot better job then most of the A-hole big wig companies that remain. 

     

    ~rather see activision/blizzard or ea go belly up then thq~

  • darkhalf357xdarkhalf357x Member UncommonPosts: 1,237

    Capitalism at its finest.  Only the best should survive.  THQ unfortunately made bad decisions and lacked strategy to remain competitive.  I will miss some of the IP and titles they had slated, but hopefully someone else will pick up.

    Anyone remember LJN from the NES days?

    image
  • orbitxoorbitxo Member RarePosts: 1,956

    sad news for so many talented people working behind great gamne titles!- as warhammer!

     

    wish them the best and may better games come ahead your horrizon!

  • IngvarIngvar Member UncommonPosts: 193
    • SEGA has agreed to purchase Relic, developer of Company of Heroes and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War.
    • Koch Media (owner of Dead Island publisher Deep Silver) has agreed to purchase Saints Row developer Volition as well as the publishing rights to the Metro franchise.
    • Crytek, who is currently developing Homefront 2, has purchased the rights to the Homefront franchise.
    • Take-Two (parent company of 2K and Rockstar) has agreed to purchase Turtle Rock Studios’ project codenamed Evolve. (Update: While Take Two was initially rumored to have acquired Darksiders publisher Vigil, reports now indicate that isn't the case)
  • dinamsdinams Member Posts: 1,362

    SEGA bought Relic?

    So sega became the overlord of strategy games AND owns the entire Warhammer franchise(fantasy and 40k) in one stroke?

    Well played SEGA, very well Played

     
     

    "It has potential"
    -Second most used phrase on existence
    "It sucks"
    -Most used phrase on existence

  • UhwopUhwop Member UncommonPosts: 1,791

    THQ like to buy up the rights to popular "teen" brands, and then make lots of games based off those brands. 

    Lots, and lots of really bad games. 

    And I mean LOTS of bad games. 

  • NyrrhoNyrrho Member Posts: 53

    It's too bad that the decent companies that have been around for many years (Atari, THQ, etc.) have to suffer this fate. It's always amazing how one or two bad decisions can completely deface an entire company (*cough* Squaresoft). Too bad this won't be happening to EA anytime soon.

  • HolyTrevorHolyTrevor Member UncommonPosts: 55
    awww wtf they werent able to sell off vigil :(
  • jedensuscgjedensuscg Member Posts: 209
    Originally posted by Nyrrho

    It's too bad that the decent companies that have been around for many years (Atari, THQ, etc.) have to suffer this fate. It's always amazing how one or two bad decisions can completely deface an entire company (*cough* Squaresoft). Too bad this won't be happening to EA anytime soon.

    Yup, yet companies like SOE and EA and Blizzard/Activision can make 15 mistakes a year, and still stay around to make another 15 the mistakes the following year, etc etc.  It does help these companies have other sources of income outside game development, but its still annoying.  If EA had to worry about going under because of a few bad decisions, then the quality of their games would go up.

     

    image

  • YaevinduskYaevindusk Member RarePosts: 2,094
    Originally posted by Ingvar
    • SEGA has agreed to purchase Relic, developer of Company of Heroes and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War.
     
    :(
     
     
     
    Due to frequent travel in my youth, English isn't something I consider my primary language (and thus I obtained quirky ways of writing).  German and French were always easier for me despite my family being U.S. citizens for over a century.  Spanish I learned as a requirement in school, Japanese and Korean I acquired for my youthful desire of anime and gaming (and also work now).  I only debate in English to help me work with it (and limit things).  In addition, I'm not smart enough to remain fluent in everything and typically need exposure to get in the groove of things again if I haven't heard it in a while.  If you understand Mandarin, I know a little, but it has actually been a challenge and could use some help.

    Also, I thoroughly enjoy debates and have accounts on over a dozen sites for this.  If you wish to engage in such, please put effort in a post and provide sources -- I will then do the same with what I already wrote (if I didn't) as well as with my responses to your own.  Expanding my information on a subject makes my stance either change or strengthen the next time I speak of it or write a thesis.  Allow me to thank you sincerely for your time.
  • waynejr2waynejr2 Member EpicPosts: 7,769
    Originally posted by Nyrrho

    It's too bad that the decent companies that have been around for many years (Atari, THQ, etc.) have to suffer this fate. It's always amazing how one or two bad decisions can completely deface an entire company (*cough* Squaresoft). Too bad this won't be happening to EA anytime soon.

     A sad trend the top 500 companies used to last 50 years on the list, now it's common to be 10 years.  It is expected to get down to 5 years.  It's a side effect of how taxes and stock rules have come into play.  When the law reads that you have to maximize profit for the stock holders, there is nothing to stop them from looking at it in the short term.  It's easy to sell off parts of a company or layoff people to get a short term "gain" but kill a company in the long run.  Those rules must change.

    http://www.youhaventlived.com/qblog/2010/QBlog190810A.html  

    Epic Music:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1

    https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1

    Kyleran:  "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."

    John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."

    FreddyNoNose:  "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."

    LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"




  • YizleYizle Member Posts: 517
    Sad to see them go. They did make some bombs but also very many good games.
  • SwiftrevoirSwiftrevoir Member UncommonPosts: 158
    SEGA of course will not be able to resist getting their grubby hands into my favotire RTS and turn it into something unrecognizable.  They specialize in flaccid, brainless, action on rails experiences....not epic bloodbathed futuristic wars i.e. Warhammer: Dawn of War.  I know its still Relic but how much they will be left alone to do their thing is my worry. 
  • Grotar89Grotar89 Member UncommonPosts: 347

    SEGA actually has really strong PC department. Total War games are great especially with Rome 2 coming also Football Menager has been going realy good for them. And I really enjoyed Binary Domain despite some ppl hate it, it is very underrated game.

    So SEGA now has 2 Warhammer IPs, cant wait new Warhammer games :)

  • WarlyxWarlyx Member EpicPosts: 3,363
    darksiders 3 please :(
  • dinamsdinams Member Posts: 1,362
    Originally posted by Swiftrevoir
    SEGA of course will not be able to resist getting their grubby hands into my favotire RTS and turn it into something unrecognizable.  They specialize in flaccid, brainless, action on rails experiences....not epic bloodbathed futuristic wars i.e. Warhammer: Dawn of War.  I know its still Relic but how much they will be left alone to do their thing is my worry. 

    Actually, SEGA have one of the most succesfull (and good) strategy game series and the most popular football simulator....

    Both are very sandbox-ish

    They seem to give quite the freedom for their studios....

    Why do you think everyone rejoiced when GW gave the Warhammer license to Creative Assembly(owned by SEGA)?

     

    The ones to be worried with are the Darksider franchise and Vigil

     

    "It has potential"
    -Second most used phrase on existence
    "It sucks"
    -Most used phrase on existence

  • VyethVyeth Member UncommonPosts: 1,461
    Originally posted by Nyrrho

    It's too bad that the decent companies that have been around for many years (Atari, THQ, etc.) have to suffer this fate. It's always amazing how one or two bad decisions can completely deface an entire company (*cough* Squaresoft). Too bad this won't be happening to EA anytime soon.

    As long as their sports division can keep pumping out those yearly "treats" nearly uncontested.. Then no, EA will not be going anywhere anytime soon..

  • ShakyMoShakyMo Member CommonPosts: 7,207
    Good news sega bought relic

    Ea bought nobody
  • RaysheRayshe Member UncommonPosts: 1,279
    Something tells me that no one wanted Jukes or even to touch it with a 10 foot pole. They turned WWE13 into a Buggy mess, the sad part is that the things that worked were REALLY well done. However the part that worked was about 10% of the game.

    Because i can.
    I'm Hopeful For Every Game, Until the Fan Boys Attack My Games. Then the Knives Come Out.
    Logic every gamers worst enemy.

  • UhwopUhwop Member UncommonPosts: 1,791
    Originally posted by jedensuscg
    Originally posted by Nyrrho

    It's too bad that the decent companies that have been around for many years (Atari, THQ, etc.) have to suffer this fate. It's always amazing how one or two bad decisions can completely deface an entire company (*cough* Squaresoft). Too bad this won't be happening to EA anytime soon.

    Yup, yet companies like SOE and EA and Blizzard/Activision can make 15 mistakes a year, and still stay around to make another 15 the mistakes the following year, etc etc.  It does help these companies have other sources of income outside game development, but its still annoying.  If EA had to worry about going under because of a few bad decisions, then the quality of their games would go up.

     

     I don't understand this.  They made a few good games, and dozens upon dozens of horrible games baesd off of teen brands that they purchased rights to.  Bratz, nickelodeon, WWE, scooby doo?  THQ is like the poster child for corporate consumerism, but they never really pissed people off so no one ever "noticed" them. 

     

    THQ was never a "good" company, they were a corporation that never actually cared about making good games and managed to get ahold of some good studios.  The games people actually liked that came out of THQ had very little to ever do with THQ. 

     

    They made dozens of games, but most people might only be able to name about a half dozen that they've released over the last 20 years or so. 

     

    There entire method of operation, from just about the moment they formed, was to buy up rights to popular brands that they thought would sell to a mass market based solely on the name of the brand.  Basically everything around here everyone complains about in regards to MMO's and games made using a popular IP; THQ was the poster child for that sort of corporate behavior. 

  • FelixMajorFelixMajor Member RarePosts: 865
    Aw man I grew up with THQ games, they rock...but if their IPs end up in good hands, well I guess it would be okay

    Originally posted by Arskaaa
    "when players learned tacticks in dungeon/raids, its bread".

  • spookydomspookydom Member UncommonPosts: 1,782
    Originally posted by dinams

    SEGA bought Relic?

    So sega became the overlord of strategy games AND owns the entire Warhammer franchise(fantasy and 40k) in one stroke?

    Well played SEGA, very well Played

     
     

    Warhammer 40k Total war? .............My imagination brush has gone into overdrive.

    On topic, THQ made some of my fave games of all time Dawn Of War I & II beeing cheif among them. I wish the staff well in whatever they do next.

  • dinamsdinams Member Posts: 1,362
    Im surprised EA have not bought more slaves to work on the salt mines tho

    "It has potential"
    -Second most used phrase on existence
    "It sucks"
    -Most used phrase on existence

  • YizleYizle Member Posts: 517
    Originally posted by dinams
    Im surprised EA have not bought more slaves to work on the salt mines tho

    Please don't even joke about this.

  • GettCoupedGettCouped Member UncommonPosts: 47
    Originally posted by Skuall
    darksiders 3 please :(

    Agree x 100.  Unfortunately, I don't know if anyone picked up Vigil yet. :((((((

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