[Nieuws] Geschreven door Marcel op 2013-01-23 21:24:24
THQ opgesplitst en verkocht aan onder andere SEGA, Koch Media, Ubisoft en Crytek
Alle eigendommen van uitgever THQ zijn gesplitst en verkocht aan de hoogste bieder. Na het rommelige faillissement en het mislukte plan om THQ aan de investeerdersgroep Clearlake te verkopen is het doek dan eindelijk gevallen voor de uitgever. THQ's eigendommen, zoals franchises en ontwikkelstudio's, zijn verkocht aan de hoogste bieder. De onderdelen waar geen koper voor gevonden is, zullen worden opgeheven en/of worden gesloten. We beginnen daarom met slecht nieuws, want Vigil Games, de ontwikkelaar van Darksiders II, heeft het niet gehaald. De studio is vandaag gesloten, omdat er geen koper was. Het kan echter zo zijn dat de studio alsnog wordt opgekocht in de aankomende dagen. De overige onderdelen van THQ zijn aan uitgevers en ontwikkelaars verkocht: [*]SEGA heeft Relic (Company of Heroes/Warhammer-ontwikkelaar) gekocht [*]Koch Media heeft Volition (Saints Row-ontwikkelaar) en Metro gekocht [*]Crytek (Homefront 2-ontwikkelaar) heeft de Homefront-franchise gekocht [*]Take2 heeft Evolve (Turtle Rock Studios, Left 4 Dead-ontwikkelaar) gekocht [*]Ubisoft heeft THQ Montreal (de studio van ex-Assassin's Creed director Patrice Désilets, die Ubisoft na het voltooien van Assassin's Creed II verliet, omdat hij de Assassin's Creed-serie zat was) en is de nieuwe uitgever van South Park: The Stick of Truth (in ontwikkeling bij Obsidian) Sega betaalt volgens vele bronnen 26,6 miljoen dollar voor Relic. Crytek koopt het recht op de Homefront-naam voor 500.000 dollar terwijl Koch 5,8 miljoen dollar neertelt voor Metro. Koch heeft tevens 22,3 miljoen dollar geboden voor Volition. South Park is naar Ubisoft voor 3,2 miljoen dollar terwijl THQ Montreal het bedrijf slechts 2,5 miljoen dollar kostte. Take-Two betaalt 11 miljoen voor Evolve. Er is ook enige informatie vrijgegeven over biedingen die het net niet waren geworden. Turtle Rock Studios bood 250.000 voor Evolve. Ubisoft heeft 5,4 miljoen dollar geboden voor Volition, ongeveer een kwart van Koch's bod. Ubisoft bood 700.000 minder voor Metro dan Koch: 5,2 miljoen dollar. Voor THQ Montreal, Homefront en South Park: The Stick of Truth was geen tweede partij die een bod heeft uitgebracht. Het management van THQ wenst al haar werknemers veel succes bij het vinden van een nieuwe baan in een laatste afscheidsbrief:
To All THQ Employees: We now have the answers we've been seeking through our financial restructuring and Chapter 11 case. While much will be written, here are the facts of the bids and auction that occurred: Yesterday morning, we received a competing bid for the operating business, along with Clearlake's offer, and numerous offers for separate assets. During an auction process that lasted over 22 hours, the final conclusion was that the separate-asset bids would net more than a single buyer for the majority of the company. Shortly, we will present the results to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, which must concur with our assessment. The proposed sales of multiple assets is as follows : - Sega agreed to purchase Relic - Koch Media agreed to purchase Volition and Metro - Crytek agreed to purchase Homefront - Take 2 agreed to purchase Evolve and - Ubisoft agreed to purchase Montreal and South Park We expect these sales to close this week. Some assets, including our publishing businesses and Vigil, along with some other intellectual properties are not included in the sale agreements. They will remain part of the Chapter 11 case. We will make every effort to find appropriate buyers, if possible. What this means for employees We expect that most employees of the entities included in the sale will be offered employment by the new owners. However, we cannot say what these owners may intend, and there will likely be some positions that will not be needed under the new ownership. You should receive notice this week or early next week if the new owners intend to extend employment to you. Please note that the terms of your new employment, including pay and benefits, may be different from the current terms of your employment with THQ. If you are an employee of an entity that is not included in the sale, we regret that your position will end. A small number of our headquarters staff will continue to be employed by THQ beyond January 25 to assist with the transition. THQ has sufficient resources to pay these employees for work going forward, and we will be contacting these employees immediately to ensure their continued employment during this transition period. We are requesting the ability to offer certain severance pay to minimize disruption for employees of non-included entities as they determine the next steps in their careers. We know you will have many questions about this news. We'll be meeting tomorrow when we return to talk through this announcement and to answer any questions you have. You will receive a benefits fact sheet and FAQs with answers to some questions that may be on your mind. Please review these materials closely. A personal note The work that you all have done as part of the THQ family is imaginative, creative, artistic and highly valued by our loyal gamers. We are proud of what we have accomplished despite today's outcome. It has been our privilege to work alongside the entire THQ team. While the company will cease to exist, we are heartened that the majority of our studios and games will continue under new ownership. We were hoping that the entire company would remain intact, but we expect to hear good news from each of the separate entities that will be operating as part of new organizations. For those THQ employees who are part of entities that are not included in the sale, we are confident that the talent you have displayed as part of THQ will be recognized as you take the next steps in your career. Thank you all for your dedication and for sharing your talent with the THQ team. We wish you the best of luck and hope you will keep in touch. Sincerely, Brian Farrell Chief Executive Officer Jason Rubin President