Author: admin

THQ is no more. The company will be broken apart and its games sold to at least five different companies, according to a letter sent to employees today from CEO Brian Farrell and president Jason Rubin. Kotaku obtained the letter, which further states THQ is currently presenting its case to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The proposed sale, including sales figures and backup bidders for each, is below.

Relic Entertainment and Company of Heroes franchise
Winning bid: $26.6 million – Sega Corporation
Backup bidder: $26.3 million – Zenimax Media

THQ Montreal, including 1666 and Underdog
Winning bid: $2.5 million – Ubisoft
Backup bidder: None

Evolve aka Metamorphosis
Winning bid: $10.894 million – Take-Two Interactive
Backup bidder: $250,000 – Turtle Rock Studios, Inc.

Volition and Saints Row franchise
Winning bid: $22.3 million – Koch Media
Backup bidder: $5.4 million – Ubisoft

Homefront franchise
Winning bid: $544,218 – Crytek
Backup bidder: None

Metro franchise
Winning bid: $5,877,551 – Koch Media
Backup bidder: $5.175 million – Ubisoft

South Park: The Stick of Truth
Winning bid: $3,265,306 – Ubisoft
Backup bidder: None

The fate of the Darksiders franchise and its developer Vigil Games is unknown. Farrell and Rubin said, “We will make every effort to find appropriate buyers, if possible.”

The formal THQ auction document reveals an unannounced game from THQ Montreal called “Underdog.” This is in addition to the company’s still-unannounced “1666” and could be a working title.

The document also suggests High Voltage Software (The Conduit) is working with Volition Inc. on development on Saints Row 4, though it is not clear in what capacity.

Farrell and Rubin said most employees included in the sale will be offered jobs by their new owners. However, this is not a certainty, and “there will likely be some positions that will not need to be needed under the new ownership,” they said.

All employees of a company not included in the sale will be out of a job. A “small number” of staff at THQ headquarters in Agoura Hills, California will remain employed beyond January 25 to assist in the transition.

“While the company will cease to exist, we are heartened that the majority of our studios and games will continue under new ownership,” Farrell and Rubin said. “We were hoping that the entire company would remain intact, but we expect to hear good news from each of the separate entities that will be operating as part of new organizations.

“For those THQ employees who are part of entities that are not included in the sale, we are confident that the talent you have displayed as part of THQ will be recognized as you take the next steps in your career,” they said.

Separately, THQ bankruptcy representatives told GameSpot today that an official announcement will be made once it has approval from the court and from the company’s lawyers. No specific timetable was provided.

Dragon’s Dogma expansion Dark Arisen will be released on April 23 in North America and April 26 in Europe, Capcom has announced.

The budget-priced Dark Arisen will retail for “29.99/£19.99/$39.99 and include the main game and additional content. It will be offered in both physical and digital versions, but the latter will only be available on the PlayStation 3 at launch. An Xbox 360 Games on Demand version of Dark Arisen will be made available in the summer, reports Capcom.

Dark Arisen is the promised ‘major expansion’ for Dragon’s Dogma which Capcom announced last year, offering a new environment with over 25 additional enemies, 100 bits of equipment including high-level weapons and armour, augments and increased customisation options. Players will also be able to select the original Japanese audio.

Dark Arisen will also include improvements to the general gameplay experience, such as easier travel and a refined menu, and will allow players to bring across their pre-existing Dragon’s Dogma save.

Anyone who already owns Dragon’s Dogma will receive 100,000 Rift Crystals, unlimited Ferrystones, and the Gransys Armour Pack which features six new costumes.

Capcom has already said it is “favourably considering” a full-blown sequel to Dragon’s Dogma.

For more information on last year’s Dragon’s Dogma, check out GameSpot’s 8.0 review.

Military shooters Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Medal of Honor: Warfighter have been ordered removed from shops in Pakistan, following store owners raising concerns that both games depict the country as a training ground for terrorism. Fox News reports today that the games were removed across the country after the All Pakistan CD, DVD, Audio Cassette Traders and Manufacturers Association (APCDACTM) released a memo to boycott the games.

Written in Urdu (Pakistan’s national language) and translated by Fox News, the statement indicates the group has always taken a stance against such games. It further notes that store owners found in possession of these games will face unspecified consequences.

“The Association has always boycotted these types of films and games. These (games) have been developed against the country’s national unity and sanctity. The games (Medal of Honor: Warfighter and Call of Duty: Black Ops II) have been developed against Pakistan, and the association has completely banned their sales. Shopkeepers are warned and will be responsible for the consequences if found purchasing or selling these games.”

According to the report, APCDACTM president Saleem Memon decided to issue the ban on Black Ops II and Warfighter after receiving dozens of complaints about their content. Both games feature sequences set in Pakistan.

Speaking under the condition of anonymity, a Pakistani security official told the site that the games are in fact psychological warfare. “These games are an effort to malign the minds of youth against Pakistan,” this person said. This official further claimed that the games are American attempts to convince Pakistanis that they should accept Pakistan as a failed country and one that is home to terrorists.

An Electronic Arts representative declined to comment, while Activision had not responded.

Ninja Theory’s Dante will be going back to his roots in DmC: Devil May Cry via DLC, with the upcoming Costume Pack offering a ‘classic’ skin based on Dante’s appearance in Devil May Cry 3.

Two other skins will be included in the pack alongside Dante’s iconic red leather coat, white hair and bare chest: Dark Dante and Neo Dante, with the former offering a sleek blue coat and the latter Converse sneakers, a ragged t-shirt and a belt that covers his entire stomach.

Capcom confirmed to GameSpot that the DmC Costume Pack DLC will be released on January 29 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in North America, with European PS3 owners having to wait an additional day. The new threads will cost 320 Microsoft points or $4.00/£3.19/”3.99.

The DmC costume pack is also being offered to anyone who pre-purchases the game on Steam ahead of its PC release on January 25, though a release date for the PC version of the DLC has not been specified.

DmC will also be receiving the free Bloody Palace DLC and the paid-for Vergil’s Downfall DLC, which Capcom dubs an expansion, at the end of February.

DmC: Devil May Cry received an 8.0 in its GameSpot review, though Ninja Theory’s design decisions are proving controversial with series fans despite the warm reception.

Microsoft has announced the top Xbox Live games of 2012, revealing Call of Duty: Black Ops II to be the most-played game through the service during the past year. Black Ops II was also the best-selling game in the United States during 2012. It has generated over $1 billion in revenue.

Rounding out the top five Xbox 360 titles, based on number of unique users per day, were Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Halo 4, Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition, and the original Call of Duty: Black Ops. The chart was dominated by shooters, sports, and driving games, which made up 75 percent of all top games for 2012.

The top Xbox Live Arcade game for 2012, based on full versions purchased, was Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition. Microsoft did not share specific sales data for the game, though developer Mojang announced this month that it sold just over 5 million units during the year.

The top five best-selling XBLA games for 2012 were Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition, followed by Trials Evolution, The Walking Dead, Pinball FX2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Full lists of top Xbox 360 and XBLA games for 2012 are below.

Top Xbox 360 games for 2012 (based on unique users per day)

Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Halo 4
Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
Call of Duty: Black Ops
FIFA Soccer 13
FIFA Soccer 12
Battlefield 3
Halo: Reach
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Borderlands 2
Assassin’s Creed III
Skyrim
Madden NFL 13
Gears of War 3
NBA 2K13
NBA 2K12
Far Cry 3 Grand Theft Auto IV
Forza Motorsport 4

Top XBLA games for 2012 (based on full versions purchased)

Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
Trials Evolution
The Walking Dead
Pinball FX2
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Castle Crashers
Gotham City Impostors
I Am Alive
Fruit Ninja Kinect
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD
Trials HD
Magic 2013
Fez
Dungeon Defenders
Alan Wake’s American Nightmare
Peggle
The Simpsons Arcade Game
Real Steel
Toy Soldiers: Cold War
Full House Poker

Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard will showcase what next-generation game assets could look like in March during the 2013 Game Developers Conference. Activision Blizzard real-time graphics researcher Jorge Jimenez will lead a talk titled Photorealistic Eyes Rendering and Deformation at the conference, which will focus on the publisher’s next-gen pursuits.

More specifically, Jimenez will show off next-gen shading technology running on a “plausible game rig.” In addition, he will detail how Activision plans to overcome the “uncanny valley,” a hypothesis that claims viewers may be turned off by visuals that are too lifelike.

Next-generation platforms have not been announced, though Call of Duty developers Treyarch and Infinity Ward are rumored to be working on series entries running on future systems.

GDC organizers have also announced that Pixar Animation Studios’ Matthew Luhn (Toy Story series, Monsters Inc., Up) will present a lecture titled The 5 Key Plot Points to Creating a Great Story. Luhn will explain how best to go about creating compelling characters and stories for animation, live-action, and games.

Lastly, it was announced that Creative Assembly’s lead designer James Russell will hold a lecture during GDC concerning development dilemmas faced during the production of Total War. His talk is titled Designing Grand Strategy: Making the Mechanics of Total War.

Bungie Studios will also be on-hand at GDC 2013, with creative leads Joe Staten and Christopher Barrett discussing the company’s new world, rumored to be titled Destiny.

GDC 2013 takes place in the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California March 25-29.

As THQ prepares to auction off its IP today at 14:00 Eastern Time, South Park Digital Studios is attempting to block the sale of upcoming Obsidian-developed RPG South Park: The Stick of Truth, which is currently scheduled for release on March 5.

In a filing at the United States Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, spotted on NeoGAF, the South Park owners have submitted their objection to THQ’s proposed sale today. THQ, on the other hand, claims it has every right to auction off the title.

The gist of the original eight-page legal document (and THQ’s seven-page rebuttal) is that South Park Digital Studios believes that THQ doesn’t have the right to auction off publishing rights for The Stick of Truth, and that it should be allowed to buy back the rights to the game and shop them about for a publisher independently of THQ.

South Park Digital Studios argues that its original contract with THQ, which was signed in June 2011, allows it to acquire “all elements of the game and related products” at THQ’s cost in the event of the downtrodden publisher breaching the contract.

South Park Studios claims that, under section 365(c)(1) of the Bankruptcy Code, THQ can’t sell the rights to The Stick of Truth to another publisher.

THQ, on the other hand, disagrees, and cites a specific clause in its original contract that has been redacted from the public documentation.

What this means for the future of South Park: The Stick of Truth is unclear. However, THQ’s legal team says it “will continue to work toward a consensual resolution of the Objection prior to the Sale Hearing.”

For more information on South Park: The Stick of Truth, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage.