THQ Nordic’s long-running partnership with Darksiders studio Gunfire Games has essentially turned into a marriage. The publisher announced it has acquired Gunfire Games and all of the studio’s IP rights. No doubt this is a big investment for THQ Nordic, but according to its own calculations, the cost should be recouped within the next three to four years.
The publisher shared this news on its investors webpage, noting that acquisition of the Austin, Texas-based studio will allow THQ Nordic to strengthen its “footprint in the US.” THQ Nordic’s and Gunfire Games’ next project together, the imminent launch of Remnant: From the Ashes, will be the first in this new phase of the partnership.
Since 2015, the two companies have worked closely together, as THQ Nordic swooped in to publish Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition. The relationship persisted as Gunfire Games began work on Darksiders III, which hit store shelves late in 2018, and has since received a few post-launch content releases.
In 2014, a number of former Vigil Games developers, the original Darksiders team, joined together to form Gunfire Games. This transition took place in wake of THQ shuttering in the early months of 2013. All things considered, the Gunfire Games team has done well for itself. According to THQ Nordic’s report on the recent acquisition, the studio now stands strong, with 70 full-time staff members.
While there’s no word on whether a fourth mainline Darksiders entry may be in production, developers did say in 2017 that the “gears [were] turning” on what Darksiders IV’s story would entail. As fans await news on that front, Darksiders: Genesis is a spin-off worth keeping an eye out for. The Diablo-inspired title from Airship Syndicate will launch sometime this year. Hopefully, a launch date will surface during THQ Nordic’s gamecom 2019 presence, though preorders for it and a couple of special editions are already live.
[Source: THQ Nordic Investors]
