THQ

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THQ Inc.
THQ logo
Type Public
Founded 1989 (as Trinity Acquisition Corporation)
Headquarters Agoura Hills, California, USA
Key people Brian J. Farrell (Chairman, CEO, President),
Edward K. Zinser (CFO, EVP),
Jack Sorensen (EVP Worldwide Studios),
Ian Curran (SVP Int'l Publishing),
Lewis Flock (EVP Worldwide Publishing)
Industry Computer and video game industry
Revenue $806.56 million USD (2006)
Operating income $31.58 million USD (2006)
Net income $32.11 million USD (2006)
Employees over 1,600 Worldwide
Website Homepage

THQ Inc. NASDAQ: THQI is a global developer and publisher of video games. The company develops products for all popular video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices. THQ's titles span most major interactive entertainment software genres, including action, adventure, racing, fighting and wrestling, first person shooter, puzzle, role-playing, simulation, sports, and strategy. THQ has created, licensed and acquired a group of highly recognizable brands.

The company has several titles in development for next-generation console systems and personal computers, including Frontlines: Fuel of War, Saints Row, Destroy All Humans!®, Company of Heroes and Stuntman®. Major franchises include games based on THQ's long standing licensing relationships with WWE®, Disney/Pixar and Nickelodeon. In addition, the company holds long-term rights to Bratz from MGA Entertainment and Warhammer® 40,000 from Games Workshop.

THQ owns a number of studios which operate with a good degree of independence.

Contents

[edit] Studios

[edit] Blue Tongue Entertainment

BlueTongue.com Founded in 1995 and acquired by THQ in 2004, Blue Tongue Entertainment Pty. Ltd. is located in Melbourne, Australia. Blue Tongue has released titles in many genres, from Windows PC simulations to console platforms. Blue Tongue's most recent games include Barnyard for the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation®2, Nintendo GameCube™ and Windows PC; and Nicktoons Battle for Volcano Island for PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Today, Blue Tongue is developing original and licensed titles for current and next-generation consoles.

[edit] Concrete Games

ConcreteGames.com Located in Carlsbad, CA, Concrete Games was established by THQ in 2004 and has an expanding team of highly talented individuals bringing years of game development experience to the THQ Studio System. Team members have contributed to titles such as Halo and Halo 2, Medal of Honor, and Everquest. Concrete Games is focusing on next generation game consoles technology and original titles.

[edit] Cranky Pants Games

CrankyPantsGames.com Formed by THQ in 2002, Cranky Pants Games brought together veteran industry talent from Electronic Arts, Nintendo, and Valve to focus on cutting-edge design for current and next-generation gaming platforms. Cranky Pants developed Evil Dead: Regeneration for the Sony PlayStation®2 and Xbox® video game system, based on the cult horror film by director Sam Raimi. Cranky Pants also created versions of the critically acclaimed Red Faction II and Summoner: A Goddess Reborn for the Nintendo GameCube™. Cranky Pants is currently working on original properties for next-generation consoles. Cranky Pants Games is located near Seattle, WA.

[edit] Heavy Iron Studios

Heavy-Iron.com Heavy Iron Studios was founded as a THQ studio in 1999. Heavy Iron has worked in close partnership with creators of high profile, animated feature film properties, including Disney•Pixar's The Incredibles and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie video game. Heavy Iron's previous hit titles include Scooby-Doo!: Night of 100 Frights and SpongeBob SquarePants™: Battle for Bikini Bottom. Both of these titles were nominated in consecutive years by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences for "Children's Title of the Year." Heavy Iron is working on next-generation console games within the character action and platform genres. Heavy Iron Studios is located in Los Angeles, CA.

[edit] Helixe Games

Helixe.com Founded in July of 2000, Helixe Games specializes in innovative game development for Nintendo handheld gaming platforms. The studio has produced games for the Nintendo DS™ and Game Boy® Advance including top-selling Disney•Pixar's The Incredibles and Disney•Pixar's Cars, as well as games based on the Star Wars and Scooby-Doo franchises and numerous titles based on popular Nickelodeon brands. Today, Helixe is focused on high profile licensed games for the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance. Helixe is located just outside of Boston, MA.

[edit] Incinerator Studios

Established by THQ in 2005, Incinerator Studios was founded by industry veterans with development experience in the NFL GameDay, Twisted Metal, and MLB: The Show franchises from Sony, as well as the Midnight Club franchise from Rockstar Games. Incinerator produced Disney•Pixar's Cars for the Nintendo Wii video game console, and it now creating multiple genre-leading projects for all of the next-generation consoles. Incinerator Studios is located in Carlsbad, CA.

[edit] Juice Games

JuiceGames.com Founded in 2003 and acquired by THQ in 2006, Juiced Games released the 1.5 million-unit selling Juiced™ in June 2005. The game won the best New UK/European Studio in the 2005 Develop Industry Excellence Awards. Juice Games also develops titles for popular handheld and mobile gaming devices. Juice Games is located in Warrington, UK.

[edit] Kaos Studios

KaosStudios.com Established by THQ in 2005, Kaos Studios was formed by industry veterans of the first person shooter genre. The group's core team had key roles in Trauma Studios' Desert Combat, the multi-million download modification for the original Battlefield 1942, and includes members of the R&D team for DICE's Battlefield 2. Additional members of the 50-person team contributed to the development of shooters that include FEAR, Medal of Honor, and Doom 3. Kaos is currently developing Frontlines: Fuel of War, a large-scale FPS title for Windows PC, Xbox 360™, and PlayStation®3. Kaos Studios is based in New York, NY.

[edit] Locomotive Games

Formerly Pacific Coast Power & Light, Locomotive Games was founded in 1997 and acquired by THQ in 1999. Locomotive Games has developed racing, arcade and action titles for the PSP® system and Nintendo Wii video game console, including Disney•Pixar's Cars for the PSP. Locomotive first partnered with THQ on titles such as Nuclear Strike and Road Rash for the Nintendo®64. After becoming an official THQ studio, Locomotive developed the motor cross title, MX Superfly. Currently, Locomotive is working on several titles for both the PSP system and Wii platform. The studio is located in Santa Clara, CA.

[edit] Mass Media

MassMedia.com The core group of Mass Media came together in the late 1980s at Cinemaware. In 1995, Mass Media became an exclusive developer for Time Warner Interactive. Since then and before being acquired by THQ, Mass Media was an independent developer. The company is based in Moorpark, CA, and has worked on such titles as Full Spectrum Warrior and Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers for THQ.

[edit] Paradigm Entertainment

PE-i.com Founded by industry veterans in 1997, and acquired by THQ in 2006, Paradigm Entertainment has multiple projects for next-generation consoles, including the next Stuntman® driving game. Paradigm has created a variety of well-known action games including Pilot Wings 64, Beetle Adventure Racing, and SpyHunter. The studio is located near Dallas, TX.

[edit] Rainbow Studios

RainbowStudios.com Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Rainbow Studios was founded in 1996 and acquired by THQ in 2001. In 2006, Rainbow developed Disney•Pixar's Cars, a racing title based on the hit film and released on all major gaming platforms. Rainbow also developed the "MX" franchise, including MX Unleashed and MX vs. ATV Unleashed, both of which achieved "Greatest Hits" and "Platinum Hits" status from Sony and Microsoft. During its fifteen-year video game history, Rainbow's racing and technological expertise gained success with titles such as: Motocross Madness, Motocross Madness 2 (winner of Best Sports Computer Game of 2000 by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences), Splashdown, ATV Off-Road Fury, ATV Off-Road Fury 2, and Mat Hoffman Pro BMX 2. According to their main site, Rainbow Studios is currently developing a new action/adventure game exclusively for the Wii.

[edit] Relic Entertainment

Relic.com Based in Vancouver, BC, Relic Entertainment was founded in 1997 and acquired by THQ in 2004. Relic Entertainment develops real-time strategy games, such as Company of Heroes™, which is one of the highest rated Windows PC games. Relic's history of critically acclaimed titles began with Homeworld, which received several Game of the Year and Strategy Game of the Year awards from PC Gamer and Computer Gaming World. Since then, Relic has released Homeworld: Cataclysm (co-developed with Barking Dog Studios), Impossible Creatures, Homeworld 2, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War™: Winter Assault™, Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War™: Dark Crusade™, The Outfit™, and Company of Heroes. Relic is now working on multiple Windows PC and next-generation console titles, and is exploring innovative advances in online gaming.

[edit] THQ Studio Australia

thqstudioaustralia.com Founded in January 2003, THQ Studio Australia developed Avatar: The Last Airbender as a launch title on Nintendo's Wii™ video game console alongside the PlayStation®2, Xbox®, and Nintendo GameCube™. The studio also created the hit Nickelodeon titles, SpongeBob SquarePants™: Lights Camera, PANTS! and Jimmy Neutron: Attack of The Twonkies on PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. With a strong technology group, the studio is building titles on current and next-generation platforms, with projects in production on the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360™, and PlayStation®3. THQ Studio Australia is located in Brisbane, Australia, that country's third largest and fastest growing city.

[edit] Vigil Games

VigilGames.com Vigil Games was founded in 2005, most notably by comic legend Joe Madureira, and acquired by THQ in 2006. The team's combined game credits include Unreal Tournament, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, Dark Age of Camelot, Daxter, Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, and others. Vigil Games is working on blending unique visual style with innovative gameplay to create next-generation console titles. Vigil Games is located in Austin, TX.

[edit] Volition, Inc.

Volition-Inc.com Volition, Inc. was acquired by THQ in 2000 to develop original titles for all major gaming consoles. The company was created when Parallax Software (the developer of the Descent series) was split. (The other half was the now-defunct Outrage Entertainment who developed Descent 3 and Alter Echo.) Volition, Inc. developed the FreeSpace series of space simulation computer games, and other titles including: Red Faction, Red Faction II, Summoner, The Punisher. In August 2006, THQ and Volition released Saints Row™, the first next generation open-world title for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Among other innovative features, Saints Row combines extensive character and vehicle customization with multiplayer gameplay over the Xbox Live® network. Saints Row was the number one selling game following its release and received Editor's Choice accolades from IGN.com and GamePro magazine. Volition is located in Champaign, IL.

[edit] Additional Developers/Divisions

[edit] Games

[edit] Upcoming games

[edit] External links

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