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'Darksiders Genesis' is coming to PC and Stadia December 5th
THQ Nordic and Airship Syndicate are revamping the Darksiders series with Darksiders Genesis, and they've revealed when you'll be able to take command of two Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The latest Darksiders game will hit PC and Google Stadia December 5th. Players on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch will get to grips with it February 14th.
'Darksiders Genesis' is more than a Diablo-like dungeon crawler
THQ Nordic isn't finished with the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. A decade after the original game came out on the PS3, War and his brothers return to consoles in a brand new iteration of Darksiders, dubbed Genesis. But this spin-off prequel doesn't look much like its predecessors.
'Darksiders Genesis' confirmed for Google Stadia, consoles and PC
THQ Nordic and Airship Syndicate have announced the latest entry in the Darksiders series following 2018's Darksiders III -- and it's one of the first games confirmed for Google's Stadia game streaming platform. Darksiders Genesis is a spinoff of the main series, according to IGN. It's said to be a Diablo-style top-down RPG, in which you'll hack and slash your way through dungeons and monsters, collecting loot along the way.
THQ Nordic did an 8chan AMA and it went as well as you'd think
The marketing team at THQ Nordic woke up on Monday morning, made some coffee, powered on their computers and decided to host an AMA on a website blacklisted by Google in 2015 for hosting "suspected child abuse content."
THQ Nordic is the Frankenstein monster of video games
THQ Nordic has built a successful business out of the dead and rotting leftovers from downtrodden video game studios. Since entering the publishing biz in 2011, its specialty has been acquiring the intellectual property rights for midtier and AAA games and breathing new life into them. THQ Nordic has resurrected and remastered franchises including Darksiders, Jagged Alliance, Red Faction, Desperados and MX vs. ATV, to name just a few. The studio's latest purchase has been lifeless for six years, but it's a big one. THQ Nordic announced this month that it acquired the rights to Kingdoms of Amalur, the vast fantasy franchise from Rhode Island developer 38 Studios, which went down in flames and infamy in 2012. Amalur is just the latest limb sewn onto THQ Nordic's undead monster, but it's a clear representation of the company's unique, and so far lucrative, approach to publishing.
Xbox One X enhancements come to 'Red Dead Redemption' and 'Portal 2'
Red Dead Redemption 2 might not launch for several months, but Microsoft is giving you the next best thing. The company has added Xbox One X visual enhancements to six classic Xbox 360 games, including the original Red Dead Redemption. If you've wanted to revisit John Marston's saga on your 4K TV, this is likely as good as it gets until the sequel arrives. Not that the other games are obscure -- Darksiders, Gears of War 2, Portal 2, Sonic Generations (the first time it's available on Xbox One, in fact) and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed are making the leap as well.
Xbox's $1 Game Pass includes 'Gears of War 4' and 'Mass Effect'
If you've been thinking about trying out the Xbox Game Pass, but don't want to risk the normal $10/£8 price, Microsoft has a deal for you. It's offering the first month of membership for $1/£1, giving you access to well over 100 games. It's also offering Xbox Gold for $1/£1, so Xbox is clearly trying to push users onto memberships over the holidays. This month, new titles include Gears of War 4, Darksiders: Warmastered Edition, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter and others.
Xbox One launch title 'Ryse' is free to play next month
April is fast approaching, which means another handful of games will be free to play on Xbox One through the Games with Gold program. During the course of next month, four titles -- two for Xbox One and two for Xbox 360 -- will be free to download. The most notable of the group, Ryse: Son of Rome, will be available for players to download during the entire month of April. If you'll recall, Ryse was an Xbox One launch title back in 2013.
'Darksiders' rides again on PS4, Xbox One and Wii U
Aside from the next Legend of Zelda Wii U owners don't have much to look forward to in terms of forthcoming games. Breath of the Wild is the lone glimmer of hope in the console's twilight years, but there could be another -- perhaps even before that new Zelda makes its debut next spring. If those folks are hankering for something similar, albeit with a post-apocalyptic take, maybe Darksiders: Warmastered Edition will fit the bill.
Humble's Nordic Bundle 2 delivers Darksiders, Titan Quest
Publisher Nordic Games headlines its second Humble Bundle this week with digital copies of Darksiders, Titan Quest Gold, and 10 additional PC games for a buyer-chosen price. Pay $1 or more for the collection and you'll get Volition's action-RPG Summoner, dark adventure game Black Mirror, both entries in the AquaNox series, and Supreme Commander Gold Edition and the Forged Alliance expansion. Beat the average (currently $6.18) and you'll unlock Darksiders, Red Faction: Armageddon, MX vs. ATV Reflex, and Titan Quest Gold. Pitch in $10 or more and you'll also get Darksiders 2, SpellForce 2, and Deadfall Adventures. Humble's Nordic Games Bundle 2 will be available through October 14. [Video: Nordic Games / Humble Bundle]
Crytek USA, Vigil devs aim to get the band back together with new studio
David Adams, formerly of Darksiders series development studio Vigil Games, has formed a new studio: Gunfire Games. It is a studio comprised of seven team members from Crytek USA, which itself was formed entirely from ex-Vigil staff in the wake of the THQ closure and auction. In other words, in the span of 18 months, Adams has gone from Vigil employee to Crytek employee to founder of his own studio. Adams told Polygon that the decision to leave Crytek was due in part to financial issues which recently hit the company - issues that Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli says were not as bad as you may think - but also due to the fact that people were abandoning Crytek's ship, many of whom Adams wanted to keep working with. "It really was the team," Adams said. "When you make a game, one of the most important elements of that is the people you work with. You could get 12 of the best developers in the world and put them into a room and they may not make a good game." Adams also said that he "jumped" at joining Crytek, which in hindsight may not have been the best decision. "Having gone through this a second time, the first time we jumped on the first deal that sounded good; this time, we feel a little more confident in our abilities," said Gunfire studio director Matt Guzenda. "We walked away from them, not the other way around." Adams and Guzenda told Polygon they're working to bring more of the original Vigil team together, and are knocking around ideas for what they want to do next, which Adams expressed could include more Darksiders games, should IP owner Nordic Games give their support. In the meantime, Crytek USA has been relieved of their development on Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age. [Image: Gunfire Games]
Humble Store Nordic sale discounts Red Faction, Darksiders series and more
Up to 80 percent off is on offer at The Humble Store this week on a large collection of Nordic Games-owned franchises, including old THQ-published favorites Red Faction and Darksiders. The Red Faction Collection is available for $9.99 (down from $60) and bundles each game in the series from developer Volition Inc., including DLC for Armageddon. Darksiders 2 is available for $7.49, while the original has been reduced to $4.99 during the limited time sale. Other franchises discounted in the deal include SpellForce, Gothic, Arcana, and Titan Quest. Ten percent of sales at The Humble Store are given to charity. Humble supports multiple charities from its store, including the American Red Cross, Child's Play, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Charity: Water and World Land Trust. The Nordic Games 'Revolutionary Sale' ends early on Friday, April 18. [Image: The Humble Store]
Xbox 360 Ultimate Sale continues with FIFA 14, Skyrim, Dead Island: Riptide
It's day 3 of the Xbox 360 Ultimate Game Sale, and that means seven more discounts vying to divorce hard-earned cash from bank accounts. The big name games include FIFA 14, Skyrim, and Dead Island: Riptide, but the biggest discount of the day goes to Bejeweled 3; should you want your precious time consumed by addictive match-3 puzzling, the Arcade game is down by a whopping 93 percent to just over a buck. We've got today's one-day-only discounts in full below the break. Don't forget, there's also a collection of games staying on sale throughout the week, including a little-known gem by the name of Portal 2. Could be a sleeper hit, that game, so if you want to get ahead of the curve, it's two-thirds off at $9.89/£6.59/9.89 euros.
This week's Xbox Live sale discounts Darksiders 2, Stacking
This week's deals on Xbox Live includes 67 percent discounts on both Darksiders ($6.59) and Darksiders 2 ($19.79) for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. The sale also slashes at the prices of two add-ons for the sequel, the Argul's Tomb DLC and Death Rides Pack for $2.30 each. Additionally, players can pick up Darksiders 2's season pass for $6.59 this week on Xbox Live. Among the other deals this week is MX vs ATV Reflex for $4.99, a 75 percent discount, and Double Fine's Stacking for half off ($7.49). Head past the break for a full list of this week's Xbox Live deals.
Today's gaming deals from Steam, Square-Enix, Target [update]
Steam's Thin Wallets 2013 Campaign holiday sale continues today with a fresh batch of discounted games you surely have time to play. For the next 24 hours, the Darksiders series, season pass and all, is available for $9.99. Sleeping Dogs is down to $4.99, season passes for Telltale's The Wolf Among Us are $16.74, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 is $4.99. The current batch of Flash sales will expire at 9 pm EST, but until then you can snatch up The Binding of Isaac for $1.24, XCOM: Enemy Unkown for $9.99, or Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut for $4.99. If you're looking to play on consoles, Square-Enix's online store is offering 50 percent off select games with an ongoing holiday sale. 360 and PS3 copies of Sleeping Dogs are $14.99. If you're okay with passing up on features included in the more recent Director's Cut, 360 and PS3 copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution Augmented Edition are also $14.99. You can also get ready for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII with 360 or PS3 copies of Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2 for $10 apiece. Lastly, Target's recent credit card data breach has resulted in many of their in-store items being marked 10 percent off this weekend. Combined with their weeklong sale on 3DS XLs, that means you can pick up a 3DS XL today at Target for $135. If you don't have a 3DS yet, you might want to consider 2013's contributions to its lineup. Update: This article has been updated to reflect changes in pricing for the Steam holiday sale. Prices that were originally listed for the Darksiders series, The Wolf Among Us, KOTOR 2, The Binding of Isaac, XCOM: Enemy Unkown and Director's Cut have all been altered. Thankfully, they're now all cheaper than when the new batch of sales began!
Nordic Games still working out plans for Darksiders, other THQ assets
Four months after parting with $4.9 million to pick up a number of big ex-THQ properties, Austrian-based Nordic Games is still working to finalize its transaction with the now-bankrupt company. If you were looking for announcements at Gamescom - as Nordic Games hoped to have - on the futures of Darksiders, MX vs. ATV, Titan Quest, and Red Faction, you may have a fair while to wait - although not necessarily in all cases . "It takes longer than expected getting everything together because THQ, there are not a lot of people there," explained Reinhard Pollice, the man in charge of business and product development at Nordic. "There are just like five people and they're mostly financial and administration guys. So the stuff that we need is really hard to get. I've been visiting them a lot of times, trying to make sure we get everything that we actually want, or that we should get." While Pollice said he's a fan of the franchises Nordic acquired, he feels THQ at some point became too big a company to make use of the talents it had; he noted the now defunct company made a lot of bad decisions with Red Faction after Guerrilla, for example. That may explain why he places the shooter franchise lower in Nordic's priority than Darksiders, MX vs. ATV, and Titan Quest, which he sees as first, second and third. That's not to say a new Red Faction isn't coming; Pollice said Nordic is in talks with former Volition members who left the studio over the last four to five years, and that Nordic is still evaluating what to do with the franchise. Meanwhile, Darksiders remains years, rather than months, away. Pollice said Nordic's been in good discussions with some members of the original Vigil Games Team, but a "certain core" are now at Crytek US and most likely won't be available.
Steam Weekend Sales include Darksiders, Command & Conquer, Flatout
If you managed to get through the Steam Summer Sale without taking out a loan, Steam's weekend sale has sizable discounts to move you closer to that reality help you celebrate. The Darksiders series is 80 percent off and can collectively be snatched up for less than $13. The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games are 75 percent off, meaning you can also binge on the entire series for $13. The modern portion of the Command & Conquer series is 70 percent off, leaving Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Command & Conquer 4 and their expansions at $6 apiece. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars proves itself as a non-conformist and asks for $9. The Flatout series is 75 percent off and totals to $10. Lastly, first-person sci-fi puzzler Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals is a measly $1.25. Even if you splurge on everything involved, you should be in good shape. The real question is: Will you be able to say that after the onslaught of games coming later this year?
Nordic Games explains who the f they are, plans for THQ assets
Nordic Games spent $4.9 million to acquire THQ's back catalog in April, but has yet to reveal any concrete plans for the intellectual properties, although it certainly knows what you'd like to see. And, with any luck, will announce some plans by Gamescom. "We want to carefully select which franchises are up for getting a sequel or new installment. We closely monitor the communities on that," said Reinhard Pollice, who handles Nordic's business and product development. He mentioned the games receiving the most feedback are Darksiders, MX vs. ATV, Red Faction and Titan Quest. Personally, Pollice would also like a new Deadly Creatures, but there are other challenges. Nordic has described itself as a "middle man," since the company doesn't have internal studios or the capital to make the AAA sequels that fans of these games would expect. This is particularly true in the case of Darksiders, which Nordic would need to seek another publishing partner to help out. "Darksiders is really big. We know we need a partner for that. An established development team that can pull out such a big action adventure. We obviously talked to former team members and, if they are free, we want to somehow involve them. If they are allowed to because, you know, some of them found other jobs or are with Crytek now," said Pollice. He expressed that Darksiders is the franchise Nordic wants to do right by, to continue the story that's already been established. As a fan, Pollice doesn't want to mess up Darksiders and he wants to make sure that nobody else ruins what's been started in the first two games. Although, with the road ahead, he said, "I would not look for a Darksiders 3 before two years from now."
Nordic Games involved with THQ since January, is talking sequels
Nordic Games picked up most of the IPs in THQ's back catalog auction, dishing out $4.9 million for Darksiders, Red Faction, MX vs ATV, Titan Quest and a slew of unannounced games from THQ's long list of for-sale properties. Nordic was a surprise to some, especially next to Gearbox, which picked up the Homeworld franchise, and 505 Games, which snagged Drawn to Life and its sequel. But Nordic isn't new."We've been in conversation with THQ since January," Nordic CEO Lars Wingefors told Game Informer. "We signed all the NDAs in January."Wingefors has been in the gaming industry for 20 years, he said, and has handled "a lot" of THQ products during that time. In November 2011, Nordic acquired publisher JoWood, in charge of Painkiller and Torchlight, and also ended up with Canadian publisher Dreamcatcher, spawning Nordic's publishing focus.Nordic took part in the first THQ auction as well, which sold off properties such as Saints Row and some development studios for upwards of $20 million. That sale was too rich for Wingefors: "Saints Row went for $22 million and Koch bought that development studio with that burn rate on a daily basis. Even though I do have financial resources, I don't have those kind of resources."Wingefors didn't want a studio. Nordic is a "middle man" looking for the right team to make some new sequels; there's already been plenty of interest in Darksiders, he said."We have to be very honest," Wingefors said. "I am a business man within the games industry. We are not the creative, talented developer that brings out new versions in house. I understand the potential of the IPs. I respect the original creators and the creative people who are able to create sequels. In the past 24 hours, we have been contacted and there have been a few discussions (but I can't confirm names)."Nordic took home more than 50 former THQ games, but has yet to release the full list."As we still have some open points with regards to a couple of titles we will not publish a comprehensive list at this stage," a Nordic Games representative told Joystiq yesterday. "However, once everything is fixed and the ink is dry – around mid-May – we will go out with a comprehensive list of titles which we have acquired in the process."Nordic will hold talks this summer with different developers, during E3 especially. Don't expect any sequels too soon, though."You won't see a new Darksiders this year," Wingefors said. "I don't believe in bringing out a shitty sequel."
THQ auction results: Nordic Games takes Darksiders, Red Faction; 505 Games is Drawn to Life
The THQ back catalog auction results are in, with Nordic Games riding away with the intellectual property (IP) rights to Darksiders, Red Faction and MX vs. ATV for $4.9 million. The company picked up nearly all the assets in the auction, including Titan Quest, Supreme Commander, Frontlines, Stuntman, Juiced, Full Spectrum Warrior, Destroy All Humans and much more. "First and foremost we are very happy about this deal which also turns over a new leaf for the entire Nordic Games Group. In the long term, we either want to cooperate with the original creators or best possible developers in order to work on sequels or additional content for these titles," said Nordic Games CEO Lars Wingefors. "A very important point for us is not to dash into several self-financed multi-million dollar projects right away, but rather to continue our in-depth analysis of all titles and carefully selecting different financing models for developing new instalments of acquired IPs." The other reveal is 505 Games grabbed the rights to Drawn to Life and Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter for $300K. The news follows this afternoon's unexpected acquisition of the Homeworld franchise by Gearbox Software. We now know the price tag for Gearbox to re-release the original games on digital distribution networks and take a swing at its own spin on the real-time strategy franchise was $1.35 million. We've listed the winning bids in greater detail after the break.
