THQ, gone but not forgotten

Ironically this post was originally going say goodbye to Red Faction, in the wake of the cancellation of the series – but ended up saying farewell to the company that created it. However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel…

Alongside the major announcements in gaming this year like the PS4 and XBOX One, another big story was of THQ filing for bankruptcy – a bit of a surprise in that they’ve always been one of the more well-known developer / publishers – but due to some poor decisions and poor products (see the $80m shortfall disaster of the uDraw, and the Call of Duty wannabe title Homefront) they sadly took a tumble in 2012.

In the last few weeks THQ received approval for liquidation – so it’s so long to a company that gave us some very popular franchises, including Warhammer 40k Dawn of War, Homeworld, Saints Row, Red Faction, and Company of Heroes.

1001 No.80: ‘Company of Heroes’ (2006)

I have fond memories of the acclaimed Company of Heroes – a superb WWII strategy game that was less about resource management and more about combat, with some great mechanics around cover, unit deployment, and general tactics. One particular standout moment I recall was the defense of a hill against wave after wave of Nazi troops – planning and executing your own strategies, but also adapting to situations as they develop being one of the most satisfying experiences in gaming – and in fact the whole game was full of excellent moments of tension and frantic decisions.

Fortunately this franchise is safe and sound, the developer Relic sold off to Sega – with Company of Heroes 2 released recently in June 2013.

Similarly it seems that, like Company of Heroes, some other franchises will rise from the ashes of THQ – Saints Row, Darksiders, Metro, Warhammer 40k and more have been sold on to other publishers: and the upcoming South Park game lives on too under Ubisoft.

Even Red Faction has been sold off – so maybe it will return – but the best news is that Homeworld, a classic from 1999, is finally getting it’s own HD remake. That too is one of the 1001, bought by myself many years ago but never conquered – so one day I’ll get back to it…

It’s a shame when companies fold, especially due to silly decisions – and when even strong franchises can’t save them. But at least something will come out it – and we’ll get to keep playing their games.