Smash! Bash! Cash! THQ Nordic buy Carmageddon
A big year of acquisitions
In their ongoing mission to own PC gaming 1992-2006, publishers THQ Nordic are now buying the intellectual property rights to Carmageddon. Like when they bought Alone In The Dark earlier this year, THQ Nordic (who even bought the "THQ" half of their name) say part of their ownership will, naturally, involve thinking about maybe making "sequels and new content". Which they've gone on to do with many of the games they bought. Carmageddon isn't quite so gone-and-forgotten, considering creators Stainless Games released a crowdfunded sequel to their Death Race-inspired smash-o-driver only a few years back, but it started in 1997 and so THQ Nordic must own it. Or maybe it's a Christmas present.
THQ Nordic are buying the Carmageddon rights off Stainless Games, who had themselves bought the rights in 2011. Stainless released the new Carmageddon: Reincarnation in 2015 (after going through early access) then mobile game Carmageddon Crashers in 2017, and now... it seems they're done with it.
I suppose THQ Nordic could still draft Stainless to make a new Carmageddon, if they both wanted that.
Other recent THQ Nordic acquisitions include Kingdoms Of Amalur, TimeSplitters and Second Sight, all of Deep Silver including Saints Row and Metro, the studios behind Wreckfest and Goat Simulator... many things. They're not just buying things to hoard, mind. Desperados 3 is coming from the makers of Shadow Tactics too, and Jagged Alliance: Rage actually seems decent.