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THQ Assets To Be Auctioned Off Individually

Update #2: THQ has just sent out a press release confirming and further clarifying the sale process going forward.

The court says that Clearlake Capital's bid for all of THQ will stand as the opening bid in an auction process for the entire company. Outside companies will be able to bid on individual THQ assets ONLY IF [emphasis ours] the value generated by the sale of these individual assets was more than a bid for all of THQ by any single company.

Bids will be received by January 22, 2013 (9:00 AM ET), and the auction itself will occur that day at 3:00 PM. A hearing on the sale will be held the next morning at 9:30 AM, and the closing will be on January 24.

Finally, the court approved "an amended financial agreement" to help THQ before the auction.

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Update #1: According to multiple reports, Clearlake Capital has agreed to auction off the THQ assets piecemeal.

The auction will take place on January 22, and the finance blog Distressed Debt Investing tweeted that one of those individual suitors may be Electronic Arts. Which property do you think EA is interested in acquring?

[Via: Polygon]

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THQ, the publisher behind games like Saint's Row: The Third and Darksiders II, has been in financial trouble lately, and things just got slightly worse.

Businessweek is reporting that the judge looking over THQ's bankruptcy case has sided with the US trustee and creditors who objected to THQ's quick bankruptcy sale. The original plan, which you can read about here, was to quickly sell the company for at least $60 million to Clearlake Capital Group LP with a very short window available for any other interested investors to make bids. Those other possible investors objected to the small window claiming that it wasn't enough time.

With the judge's ruling, the sale process has been extended by approximately three weeks. In the mean time, THQ is still hard at work making games while investors make bids.

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Comments
  • I hope the South Park game still comes out.
  • I wish this never happened. THQ is gonna' be missed. I just hope their good franchises (SR, Darksiders, Homefront) don't take a hit in the move.
  • It's a shame that Red Faction: Guerilla 2 probably won't happen since it wouldn't be a blockbuster. Considering THQ needs every game to be a blockbuster at this point. Armageddon made me sad.
  • Poor THQ. They make amazing games. I hope they stay afloat.
  • Still can't believe this is happening. THQ is one of my favorite game companies. They released two of my favorite new franchises this generation-de Blob and Darksiders. Hope someone gets the rights to these games, I want to see a Darksiders 3 that continues the ending from the first one.
  • Best of luck THQ! They might have made some mistakes along the way but I always like to see businesses rebound. And anyway, they seem to have some better management these days and it looks like they're on the right track as far as doing smarter business.
  • Well, hopefully the games are made despite financial issues that may crop up.

  • Damn shame....Darksiders II was my personal GOTY...and Saints Row the Third was a ton of fun...Now I fear Darksiders III will never materialize, especially since Joe Mad has since moved on too.

  • darksiders was a good game...if they could've just lowered the cost to make the game, sold it at a cheaper price, it would've sold well...i'm sorry, but a lot of companies try to make multi-million dollar projects, and hope to succeed like CoD, Halo, and AC, but they don't sale games like them and that's why a lot of companies are going bankrupt, with massive layoffs, which is sad....i really hope a lot of companies look at telltale games, observe what they did with the walking dead, and make games without the multi-million dollar budget...it can be done and walking dead is living proof...
  • Good bye horrible childhood.

  • Lots of people over complicating this I think. I understand the investors stand points but as I understand it they were going to be compensated or retain their interests but at this point apparently a lot of the groups just want out. I hope THQ can pull off what they are hoping for to keep the group together and give the new leaders a chance. Hopefully that also means making the investors from before at least sated.
  • Thanks for using the classic logo, Kyle. I know it's not the reason, but doesn't it seem like THQ started having problems when they changed the logo lol. Hopefully whoever buys them keeps the company together and their games release on time.
  • Good.

  • Well if they have a longer sale maybe they can get a higher price for the developers they are selling.

    This just seems like what the future of the industry is. It does not matter if you make good games, if they dont sell you go out of business. You cant just keep making crap games over and over because it takes more money to make them and people know better now and stay away from those games. So you cant make a quick buck off of a cheap game and a stupid customer.

    Man I hope EA does not get any of those devs. If they did want only one I would put my money on Volition, seeing as Saints the Third did very well. If I could choose who got the devs I would go with 2K or Ubi.
  • Of all the publishers that are on a doomed road, THQ was my last guess for who would tank first. It's legitimately sad.
  • FU THQ. Way to screw me on a reverse stock split then go bankrupt anyway.
  • poor thq. they will be missed in the video game world.

  • Man, THQ does not deserve all these troubles :[.  They honestly made several of my favorite games, including Saints Row 2&3 and Darksiders 1&2.

    I hope things turn around for them.

  • At least we still get a sequel to the greatest RTS ever made.

  • Hmm is this bankruptcy ordeal partly the reason for last month's THQ Humble Bundle? If so, I should have bought it and gifted the steam codes to a friend with a PC...
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