THQ Nordic

THQ Nordic GmbH is an Austrian video game publisher and developer based in Vienna, founded in 2011 as Nordic Games GmbH by Swedish entrepreneur Lars Wingefors and renamed THQ Nordic in August 2016. Operating as the primary publishing arm of Embracer Group, THQ Nordic built its catalog through the strategic acquisition of intellectual property from bankrupt or distressed publishers, assembling one of the largest portfolios of licensed and original game franchises in the industry. Key people include CEO Klemens Kreuzer and director of business and product development Reinhard Pollice.

From Nordic Games to THQ Nordic

Lars Wingefors founded Nordic Games GmbH in June 2011 as a European publishing operation focused on acquiring valuable IP from publishers in financial difficulty. The company’s first significant acquisition came in August 2011 with the purchase of assets from the bankrupt JoWooD Entertainment, including its subsidiaries DreamCatcher Interactive and The Adventure Company, which Nordic Games retained as publishing labels. In April 2013, Nordic Games acquired over 150 games and franchises from the bankrupt American publisher THQ for approximately $4.9 million, including the Darksiders, Red Faction, and MX vs. ATV series. Nordic Games acquired the THQ trademark itself in 2014 and renamed both the parent holding company and the publishing subsidiary THQ Nordic in August 2016 to make the association explicit.

The THQ Nordic Catalog

THQ Nordic’s owned franchises include Darksiders, which the company has continued through new entries after acquiring it from THQ’s bankruptcy. MX vs. ATV, Destroy All Humans, Wreckfest, Titan Quest, Biomutant, Gothic, ELEX, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, SpellForce, The Guild, Desperados, and Alone in the Dark are among the properties the publisher has actively developed or revived. The studio opened Grimlore Games in Munich in December 2013 as an original development subsidiary, and acquired Rainbow Studios in 2013 as part of the THQ properties, returning it to its original name after THQ had renamed it THQ Digital Phoenix.

Licensed publishing has played a parallel role alongside the owned IP catalog. THQ Nordic has published games under licenses from Nickelodeon, Lucasfilm, AEW, Comedy Central, and Disney. SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated in 2020 was among the more commercially successful licensed releases, restoring a beloved 2003 GameCube game for modern platforms across a broad audience that had not forgotten the original.

NovaLogic Acquisition and Ongoing Expansion

THQ Nordic acquired NovaLogic in 2016, adding the Delta Force and Comanche military simulation franchises to the catalog. The acquisition pattern Lars Wingefors established across Nordic Games and THQ Nordic became the model for Embracer Group’s own expansion strategy, which at its peak involved over forty studio acquisitions before a significant contraction across the group beginning in 2023. THQ Nordic continued to operate consistently throughout Embracer’s restructuring period, with its catalog providing a stable commercial foundation.