THQ
Wrestling games publisher
Notable Games
Company History
THQ Inc. was founded in 1989 in Calabasas Hills, California. The name originally stood for "Toy HeadQuarters," reflecting the company's origins as a toy manufacturer before pivoting to video game publishing. THQ grew from humble beginnings to become one of the largest third-party video game publishers in North America.
THQ initially focused on licensed games, securing valuable properties including WWF/WWE wrestling and Nickelodeon characters. WWF SmackDown! games for PlayStation (developed by Yuke's) became enormous commercial successes, establishing THQ's dominance in wrestling games that continued through multiple console generations.
Beyond licenses, THQ cultivated original franchises and acquired talented studios. Red Faction (2001) pioneered destructible environments. Saints Row (2006) carved out an identity as the irreverent alternative to Grand Theft Auto. Darksiders (2010) delivered ambitious action-adventure gameplay. Company of Heroes (2006, developed by Relic Entertainment) achieved critical acclaim as a WWII real-time strategy game.
THQ expanded through acquisitions including Relic Entertainment, Volition, Vigil Games, and others. At its peak, the company operated multiple studios producing diverse titles from wrestling games to Pixar adaptations to hardcore strategy games.
Financial difficulties emerged in the early 2010s. The uDraw tablet peripheral failed commercially, resulting in significant losses. Declining sales across multiple titles and heavy debt burden became unsustainable. THQ filed for bankruptcy in December 2012. The company's assets were sold in early 2013 — Sega acquired Relic, Deep Silver purchased Volition and the Saints Row franchise, while various other properties went to different buyers. Nordic Games acquired the THQ trademark, rebranding as THQ Nordic in 2016.
Behind the Scenes
THQ's development strategy combined licensed properties for guaranteed commercial performance with original IP investments for long-term franchise building. This dual approach provided revenue stability from wrestling games while allowing riskier creative bets on new properties.
The WWE games demonstrated THQ's strength in licensed development partnerships. Rather than internal development, THQ contracted Yuke's (Japan) for consistent annual releases. This relationship produced reliable quality and allowed THQ to focus on publishing, marketing, and license management.
Volition's Red Faction and Saints Row illustrated successful original IP development. Red Faction's Geo-Mod technology allowed genuine environmental destruction — shooting walls created holes, bridges collapsed, structures crumbled. This technical innovation provided meaningful gameplay differentiation. Saints Row embraced over-the-top absurdity that distinguished it from GTA's pseudo-realism.
Relic Entertainment, acquired in 2004, brought strategic gaming expertise. Company of Heroes delivered innovative RTS mechanics including cover systems, infantry suppression, and territorial control that influenced the genre. Dawn of War translated Warhammer 40,000 to real-time strategy successfully.
The uDraw disaster showed the risks of hardware bets. The drawing tablet succeeded on Wii, leading THQ to develop versions for PS3 and Xbox 360 where demand failed to materialize. Millions of unsold units resulted in massive writedowns. This single product substantially contributed to THQ's financial collapse.
THQ's bankruptcy dispersal scattered talented studios and valuable franchises across multiple owners. The subsequent success of games like Saints Row IV, Company of Heroes 2, and Darksiders III (under new ownership) demonstrated the quality of THQ's development assets. What failed was the corporate structure — overexpansion, risky hardware bets, and debt accumulation — not the development talent.
About THQ
THQ is a defunct game development company founded on January 1, 1989 and headquartered in .
Known for creating iconic titles such as Saints Row, Company of Heroes, Darksiders and more, THQ has left an indelible mark on the video game industry.