THQ Japan Shutting Down
THQ Japan is shutting down on February 29th, with all staff leaving the company. This is said to be due to the recent financial problems of the parent US company. Via VG247.
This closure was rumoured a fortnight ago, when THQ made employees in their Australian office redundant. These offices were said to be involved in distribution, rather than game development.
THQ have just announced a release date and pre-order details for Darksiders II, and the latest installation in their MMA franchise, UFC Undisputed 3, releases on Friday in the UK for PS3 and Xbox 360.
UFC Undisputed 3 Demo
THQ have released a demo for UFC Undisputed 3, downloadable on PSN and Xbox Live now for the US, and tomorrow for the UK and everyone else. The game itself is due out in the UK on February 17th, on both PS3 and 360.
The demo allows players to fight in a UFC matchup between light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and middleweight champion Anderson Silva, or take part in a PRIDE match between Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Wanderlei Silva. Players can also try out a mirror match, against friends or AI, where both play as the same fighter!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EGJgeFE8XI]
Rumour: THQ in Trouble?
There have been a number of tweets going around today noting that THQ are apparently offering themselves up for sale, have cancelled work on all their 2014 line up (including the Warhammer 40k MMO, Dark Millennium Online) as well as having returned IP to Disney.
THQ’s share price has falled to $0.65, the lowest it’s been all year, with a total market value just under $50 million.
UFC: Undisputed 3, Darksiders II, Metro: Last Light, South Park: The Game and WWE Brawl are scheduled for 2012, with inSANE and Devil’s Third scheduled for 2013.