Austrian game publisher THQ Nordic is staying busy. The company announced as part of its latest earnings report that it had 55 games in development at the end of last quarter, 35 of which have not yet been announced. That is a lot of games.
In addition to the franchises that it already owned, THQ Nordic has been on a buying spree of late. Just this week, the company announced that it acquired Bugbear Entertainment (Wreckfest, Ridge Racer: Unbounded) and Goat Simulator developer Coffee Stain. In September, THQ Nordic acquired the Alone in the Dark and Act of War franchises from Atari and the Kingdoms of Amalur franchise from the defunct 38 Studios. In August, THQ Nordic bought the TimeSplitters series, further boosting its roster of franchises.
In February this year, THQ Nordic acquired Koch Media, and in doing so took ownership of the Saints Row and Dead Island franchises, among others.
In 2017, Nordic Games announced it was rebranding to THQ Nordic. The company acquired a number of THQ’s intellectual properties during the company’s bankruptcy auction, including the Darksiders, Red Faction, and MX vs. ATV franchises.
Given THQ Nordic’s aggressive acquisition history so far, you might think the company would be slowing down in the future, but that may not be the case. In a statement, THQ Nordic said it “foresees further strategic investments in owned studios and/or publishing deals going forward.”
The next major releases from THQ Nordic are Darksiders 3 (November 2018) and Metro Exodus (February 2019).
