THQ TO ACQUIRE BIG HUGE GAMES

You know gang, I don't know how to feel about this next bit of news… according to Gamasutra, THQ has entered into negotiations to buy Big Huge Games. Now I know that the two have been working closely together since March of 2007 or so on some unnamed RPG, but I still have to say that I get an uneasy feeling about this one. I don't know, maybe I was just hoping to see Brian Reynolds and company come back to the Rise of Nations franchise following 2006's somewhat weakly received Rise of Legends.

One thing of interest in the article is the statement that it was actually a new intellectual property Big Huge was working on that prompted THQ to make an offer;

"We asked what else Big Huge is bringing to the table, given that one of THQ's stated goals in addition to increasing its internal development capabilities, is to expand its portfolio of owned IP.

He replied, "I would say that the RPG was enough, but what definitely sealed the deal for us on both sides is the next one. It's more innovative, more unique, and we just felt like it requires both long-term thinking from both sides. But also from THQ's perspective, it showed us that this is a studio that can gen some new concepts. Anything else coming out of Big Huge is icing on the cake."" – Gamasutra

Now being as big a fan of Big Huge and Brian Reynolds as I am, I've got to say that the idea of some new concept coming out of the studio is more than enough to snag my attention. I remember talking with a good friend of mine back when Rise of Legends came out that while the game made wasn't the best RTS title I had ever seen, it would certainly be a great backdrop for a massive multiplayer online game.

I almost wonder if this new, long-term game would be just such a thing. Certainly, the profits coming to Activision Blizzard from World of Warcraft are more than enough to make anyone consider trying to grab a piece of the pie. Admittedly, there's been nothing to make me think that's whats going on beyond that conversation – in fact, I'm not even sure if the "Rise" IP is actually held by series developer Big Huge or publisher Microsoft Games.

Getting back to the matter at hand, there is one (hopefully) bit of good news to be found here – according to the Gamasutra article, THQ currently plans on taking a hands-off approach to managing the company. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that this all works out in the end.

• THQ – Company website
• Big Huge Games – Company website
• THQ Acquires Rise of Nations, Catan Developer Big Huge Games – Gamasutra
• THQ to Acquire Leading Developer Big Huge Games – Official press release

AOL GAMES FATHER’S DAY SPECIAL

In honor of Father’s Day, AOL Games ran a short feature on 7 game designers and the games they play with their children. Included in the feature are such prominent names as Sid Meier, Brian Reynolds and Will Wright. It’s not exactly the most in depth look into the home life of game developers, but it’s always nice to see a pro-gaming article that refers to families playing games together.