Darksider's publisher, Nordic claims better quality games for less capital

Nordic bought off THQ’s creation, Darksiders

After closing its doors early last year, former publisher THQ sold off its properties, one by one due to financial ramifications. The rights to Red Faction, MX vs. ATV, and Darksiders were bought by Nordic, the Austria-based publisher, and their company's head said it can produce games with less capital up front.

In a recent issue of MCV, Nordic owner Lars Wingefors said "Darksiders is a top product. THQ spent $50 million making Darksiders 2. We can produce a product of the same quality but for a lower cost. $50 million is ridiculous. I can't afford that."

According to reports, the three properties, along with other licensed software (such as Destroy All Humans!) cost Nordic $4.9 million and according to Wingefors, the company's aim is to acquire a bunch of smaller properties that may only make $50,000 per year, and build from there. He further added that even though that kind of money does not amount to much for "EA and the other big guys", it will add up to something bigger for Nordic.

What will happen with these properties is still not sure. Nordic said another Darksiders could happen after some years, and Red Faction remains in a stagnant state. This is a result of a lot of moving parts within the company such as shifting development teams, and priority adjustments between Nordic's newly acquired properties. But the owner still is happy about the purchases. "The THQ deal was the best deal I ever made," Wingefors said. "I spent $5 million from my own bank account. It was a lot of money for me, but we got the money back very quickly."