When I was a kid, I, like most ill-informed children, fell into the trap of buying low quality licensed videogames based off of my favorite animated shows. The games were atrocious, but as a kid, nothing was more entertaining than playing as Spongebob in a new adventure. Like your average seven year old, I never really cared about who made and distributed these beloved games. I did, however, always see the same three letters on the boxes of my favorite games. It turns out that, more often than not, THQ was the publisher of these delicious videogames. As I grew up, matured, and gained a worryingly encyclopedic knowledge of videogames, I continued playing some games published by THQ …up until recently. After a series of poor management decisions, the company was unable to stay afloat. On January 23, all of the development studios and rights THQ owned were auctioned off to the highest bidder.
The videogame “Saints Row,” known for its immaturity and insanity, is THQ’s most important property. As a player in games, one is able to do such heinous things – things that are not appropriate to write about for a school paper. Having played “Saints Row: the Third,” I can say that it is some of the dumbest fun that I have ever had. After only a few minutes of playing, it is clear that the production company behind the game, called Volition, is made up of extremely talented individuals. Fortunately, these skilled developers have found a new home. For the price of $23 million Koch Media (a previous competitor to THQ) has purchased the rights to “Saints Row” and its talented developer. Koch Media most notably published the absurd zombie apocalypse game “Dead Island.” Having played both “Saints Row” and “Dead Island,” I can see why this purchase makes sense. Both games are completely ridiculous, funny, and over the top. If you’re a fan of the “Saints Row” property, this purchase couldn’t be better for you. Another perk of this purchase is that Koch Media will probably not change the game too much, preserving it in all its crazy glory. It is also worth noting that Volition is currently working on the fourth “Saints Row” game and will continue to do so under the new management. Koch Media’s concrete plans for the franchise and the studio will be shared with the public soon.
While I won’t be seeing those three letters from my childhood on videogame boxes anymore, it’s good to know that THQ’s development teams and properties live on, regardless of their new names.
