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Update Regarding the IP acquisitions, SEGA has told VideoGamer.com: “SOJ acquired all shares of THQ Canada Inc. and THQ’s IPs related to the titles developed by THQ Canada Inc. Those IPs include ‘Company of Heroes’ which is developed by THQ Canada Inc. and its R&D engines.”
Original report
SEGA has confirmed its acquisition of THQ Canada Inc., commonly known as Relic Entertainment, and some IPs owned by THQ.
The acquisition enables SEGA to “further reinforce PC game development capabilities in the US and European regions”.
Relic was established in 1997 and acquired by THQ Canada in 2004. Whilst the acquisition includes Company of Heroes, it’s not clear what’s happening with the Warhammer 40K Dawn of War franchise.
SEGA’s press release states: “THQ Canada provides several million seller franchise titles, and its representative products include the Warhammer 40k Dawn of War series. As a series Warhammer 40k Dawn of War has sold more than 7 million copies worldwide, whilst the Company of Heroes series, a real time strategy game based on the modern history of warfare from World War II and after, has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide.”
Jurgen Post, president and COO, SEGA Europe, commented: “We are incredibly excited to welcome Relic Entertainment into the Sega family. They are a highly respected development studio, with Company of Heroes and the Warhammer series both testament to the pedigree of their games.
“This acquisition is a strong strategic fit for us and completely in line with our focus on developing new and existing content.”
Company of Heroes 2 game director Quinn Duffy has also published an open letter to fans giving his take on the situation.
“The good news is that Relic and Company of Heroes 2 are intact,” wrote Duffy. “Relic will continue moving forward with Company of Heroes 2, but we have some gaps on our team in the short term. As you know we’re without our community manager, Bobby. Special thanks to him for his tireless efforts and the great rapport he built in the COH community.
“What’s next? I can only personally speculate that Relic has unique value for SEGA; that they liked what we were doing, and that they will want us to continue what we are doing. I know they’re excited. Apart from that, we don’t have a lot we can talk about yet – if you can use Google, you likely have the same information we do. We promise we’ll try to tackle the transition as efficiently as possible so that we can get back to Company of Heroes 2 as quickly as we can.
“The team is raring to go, we’re as happy as we can be about our situation, and COH2 is looking and feeling better every day. Our joy at being able to continue on the game we love is tempered with concern for our colleagues at THQ and other studios but as clichéd as it may sound, the show must go on.”
Source: Press release
