Nordic Games sees 'great potential' in Darksiders and Red Faction sequels

"Most of these games have sold in the millions. There is a love for these titles. Red Faction has millions of fans. They were disappointed with the last installment, but I think there is potential in it. And of course Darksiders, everyone, everyone would like to see something come from that."

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Nordic Games shocked the gaming world yesterday, when they announced that they had acquired pretty much every remaining IP in THQ's stable. The relatively unknown publisher now owns the rights to Darksiders. So, what's next?

"I'm impressed with the love and interest that those IPs, especially Darksiders, are bringing," CEO Lars Wingefors said. "You can see Nordic Games as a middle man in order to create great new sequels. If we can find the right team with the right terms, I'm sure we can find the right financial solution to make it happen."

According to Game Informer, Nordic Games was interested in many of THQ's IPs, including Red Faction, "from the start," but could not afford to purchase development studios. For example, Koch picked up the Saints Row franchise and developer Volition during THQ's initial auction; Sega picked up Company of Heroes developer Relic Entertainment; Ubisoft picked up THQ Montreal.

Wingefors says there is "great potential" in creating sequels for the company's newly-acquired IP. "Most of these games have sold in the millions. There is a love for these titles. Red Faction has millions of fans. They were disappointed with the last installment, but I think there is potential in it. And of course Darksiders, everyone, everyone would like to see something come from that," he told Polygon.

While far from confirmed, it appears that the future of Darksiders is safe in Nordic's hands. However, Wingefors did say that he doesn't plan to "repeat the mistakes of THQ and bring out unprofitable products," adding "you need to find the right [development] team and build a smart business model around it."

In order to acquire the Darksiders brand, Nordic had to outbid Crytek USA and the franchise's original creators. "We had competition on most of the individual IPs, and I think they were various development studios," Wingefors said. And although Crytek USA may have failed in getting their baby back, they do have some advice on what to do with a Darksiders 3: "Do what we would've done: let people know what happens when those other three comets land on Earth!" Vigil co-founder Ryan Stefanelli posted on Nordic's boards (via Gamasutra). "Four player co-op or bust!"

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    April 23, 2013 2:00 PM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Nordic Games sees 'great potential' in Darksiders and Red Faction sequels.

    "Most of these games have sold in the millions. There is a love for these titles. Red Faction has millions of fans. They were disappointed with the last installment, but I think there is potential in it. And of course Darksiders, everyone, everyone would like to see something come from that."

    • reply
      April 23, 2013 3:28 PM

      I am most pleased by this statement: "Most of these games have sold in the millions. There is a love for these titles. Red Faction has millions of fans. They were disappointed with the last installment, but I think there is potential in it."

      They acknowledge that everything that was great about Red Faction Guerilla was lost in Armageddon. I really REALLY hope they build on Guerilla. I had an absolute blast in that game.

      • reply
        April 23, 2013 5:10 PM

        All he really acknowledged was that the last one wasn't very good. You assumed the rest. Red Faction goes back a long time.

    • reply
      April 23, 2013 5:13 PM

      Seems like these IP's are in relatively good hands. They're good titles, you just need to understand what you have. Let THQ's mistakes be a lesson for the rest of the industry. Square Enix, looking at you.

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