TGO Daily | Monday, September 20, 2021 | THQ Nordic Showcase
✏️ From the Author
Hola! I hope your weekend was well.
The biggest thing that happened in the last 3 days was the THQ Nordic showcase. They announced a bunch of new games, and revived a bunch of franchises. It was an entertaining show, and it only had a fraction of what they’re currently working on. What a wild company.
Anything stand out to you in particular?
Chat tomorrow,
Adrian
📰In The News
THQ Nordic 10th Anniversary Showcase
Last Friday, THQ Nordic (a subsidiary of gaming holdings company Embracer Group) celebrated their 10th anniversary with a digital showcase. As a company with 19 subsidiaries, which is only a small slice of the Embracer Group pie, they had a lot to show off.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
Following in the footsteps of Ratchet & Clank and Crash Bandicoot 4, SpongeBob SquarePants is getting a new game featuring portals and multiverses.
Much like it’s predecessor, Battle for Bikini Bottom — Rehydrated (which sold more than 2 million units), it’s assumed that The Cosmic Shake will be a 3D platformer. The developers have confirmed that there are more than 30 costumes to wear and 7 “worlds” to explore.
The game is “coming soon” to PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch. SpongeBob’s cast of characters will also be appearing in the upcoming Smash Bros-like game Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl.
Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed
Originally released in 2006, Destroy All Humans! 2 is getting a remake. It will release on PS5, XSX, and PC in 2022 (last-gen consoles weren’t confirmed). The developers confirmed the game will have split-screen co-op.
The announcement makes sense, considering the success of the first remake — selling over 1 million units since launch, and nabbing a Game Pass deal. I’ll let Rock Paper Shotgun describe the game to you:
“Destroy All Humans 2 shifts time period from the 1950s to the 1960s, and lets players travel through fictional versions of San Francisco, London, Tokyo and ultimately to the moon. Its missions require you to blast away at earth's populous with beam weapons, but also to stealth through sections by body snatching to disguise yourself as human. In pre-alpha footage shown to press during a pre-event briefing, we also saw the player pilot a flying saucer and launch missiles at buildings, which blew up with fancy new physics.”
Adrian’s Thoughts: The success of this franchise was always surprising to me. I wonder if these remakes are leading up to an original entry.
Outcast 2: A New Beginning
The long-forgotten Outcast series is being revived with a sequel announcement, in partnership with the original developers.
Outcast was an open-world adventure game originally released in 1999, which received critical acclaim for its technological innovations. While Grand Theft Auto III is often credited with popularizing the open-world concept, Outcast came out a full two years prior.
Outcast was remastered in 2014 and remade in 2017. A sequel for the game was announced shortly after it released, but the developers ran into financial trouble. Looks like THQ Nordic will be able to bring that to life soon, with the game releasing on PS5, XSX, and PC.
Jagged Alliance 3
Outcast wasn’t the only series being revived after a long absence — the Jagged Alliance series also returns, with the last mainline entry being Jagged Alliance 2 in 1999. The turn-based tactics game brings the player to a fictional country, attempting to revolt against the “paramilitary force” in charge.
From the developers, a description of the game’s mechanics:
“Jagged Alliance 3 will combine tactically deep, turn-based combat with exploration of a large game world with strategic elements including gaining control over territories, training local forces, and establishing multiple squads chosen from beloved mercenaries - all well known to fans of the series. Jagged Alliance 3 will have RPG-elements like special perks or level-ups for your mercenaries, as well as looting and customizing your arsenal of weaponry.”
Arriving on PC without a release date, the game will also have a co-op mode.
Other Announcements
THQ revived and continued a number of other franchises you might be interested in:
Superpower 3 brings the grand strategy franchise back to life, letting the player take control of a modern-day country. Releases on PC, with no date set.
MX vs. ATV Legends sounds like all the others in the franchise, with the big selling point this time being its career mode. Releasing on current and last-gen consoles + PC, with no date set.
ELEX II continues the story of ELEX (released in 2017), getting a new story trailer.
Free Games!
Until Thursday, September 23: THQ is giving away Titan Quest: Anniversary Edition and Jagged Alliance 1: Gold Edition for free on Steam.
💭Adrian’s Thoughts: What’s always interesting about THQ/Embracer is that they have so many things going on, they can’t give them all equal treatment. Acquiring so many different studios has resulted in capturing very specific markets at a lower than typical budget. Sell enough games at a medium level, and you’ll sustain yourself long enough to let the major blockbusters (Metro, Saints Row, etc.) thrive. Games like SpongeBob and Destroy All Humans! are intriguing corners of the industry, but aren’t quite at the same level.
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Thanks for the read <3