THQ Nordic’s quest for more studio and IP acquisitions escalated quite a bit today, as the company announces three more important acquisitions that will surely buff up their portfolio of titles.
The first in this series of acquisitions was made through their wholly owned subsidiary Koch Media, and it is for the developer and publisher Milestone. The company is well-known in racing game circles as the minds behind racing series such as MotoGP, MXGP, RIDE, and Monster Energy Supercross. Originally founded in 1994 as Graffiti, the studio was then renamed Milestone two years later in 1996. In 2013, the studio transitioned from a work-for-hire company into a full publishing powerhouse with in-house development for all their IPs, with a work force totaling approximately 200 people today.
The second purchase is for the much more renowned Gunfire Games, who is the developer behind two entries in the Darksiders series – Darksiders II: Deathintive Edition and Darksiders III. In fact, much of the company was also spearheaded by developers from Vigil Games, who originally developed Darksiders and Darksiders II. Outside of the series, Gunfire is also known for its Herobound series for virtual reality systems, as well as the third-person action adventure title Chronos. The developer will be releasing a new IP next week called Remnant: From the Ashes. The acquisition includes the studio and its 63 staff members, as well as its entire portfolio of existing intellectual property and an “exciting new game pipeline.”
The third and final acquisition is for an investment company called Goodbye Kansas Game Invest, which is focused on the gaming companies under the Goodbye Kansas banner. There are five early-stage development studios currently under the banner: Palindrome Interactive, Fall Damage, Neon Giant, Kavalri, and Framebunker. However, the most notable of the acquisitions is the upcoming title Biomutant, to which THQ Nordic now has royalty rights. The acquisition does not include Goodbye Kansas Game Invest’s previous investments like IGDB.com, Bearded Dragons, and Goodbye Kansas VR – these will be retained under Goodbye Kansas.
These acquisitions should provide some more opportunities for new and revitalized IPs, if THQ Nordic’s current trend of remaking and remastering older classics is of any note. For the most part, I have a lot of faith with Gunfire Games and am looking forward to what they will have to offer as the next full-fledged entry in the Darksiders series.
