THQ Nordic acquires Warhorse, Kingdom Come IP

THQ Nordic is continuing its quest to acquire almost every other game company in history, announcing a deal to snatch up Kingdom Come: Deliverance developer Warhorse Studio along with its intellectual properties (IP) for £37.6 million.

That THQ Nordic, born in 2016 when Nordic Games used its recently-acquired rights to the THQ name to rebrand itself, has long been interested in expansion is a secret to none: As well as buying the THQ name in 2014 and Jowood and The Adventure Company in 2011, THQ Nordic has acquired Novalogic intellectual properties including Delta Force, Koch Media, Deep Silver, and Volition, the TimeSplitters franchise, Kingdoms of Amalur, and Appeal's Outcast, all within the last three years.

Now the company is splashing the cash once again, announcing a £37.6 million deal to pick up Warhorse Studios and its divisive historical role-playing game Kingdom Come: Deliverance, released last year and perhaps best known for its awkward and restrictive save-game system.

'Warhorse Studios is one of the leading independent studios in Europe and I am proud to welcome them to the THQ Nordic group,' claims THQ Nordic chief executive Lars Wingefors of the acquisition. 'Kingdom Come: Deliverance, which has now sold over two million copies, has been a great success since the release exactly one year ago. I look forward to continue working with the founders who will continue managing the studio under strong creative freedom for many years to come.'

'Becoming part of THQ Nordic family is an important milestone for our studio,' adds Warhorse chief executive Martin Fryvalsky. 'We began as a small start-up with a handful of employees who were enthusiastic enough to join this challenging project. The skills of our team members, trust and support of our main investor and passion of our fans, who supported development of Kingdom Come: Deliverance through a Kickstarter campaign, helped us grow to an international level. We believe that backing by THQ Nordic will give us an extra push in our mission to bring exciting games to our customers and extend the frontiers of the gaming industry.'

Kingdom Come: Deliverance was already published by THQ Nordic subsidiary Deep Silver, and the deal is not expected to change anything about the game's current sale status.