Skip to main content

Judge denies THQ bankruptcy plan, claims it’s unfair to creditors

THQ Logo
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Last time we mentioned THQ we wished that we’d soon have a chance to write something positive about the company. It’s been months since THQ has seen anything but terrible news, and as the company’s recent bankruptcy filing reveals it’s likely to continue down this dark road for the foreseeable future. Today’s news does little to change that outlook, as it has been revealed that bankruptcy Judge Mary F. Walrath has opted to deny THQ’s proposed plan to reverse its fortunes.

The reason? Walrath believes that THQ attempted to catch prospective buyers of its assets off guard by not revealing that they were for sale until after it had received choice offers from companies of its liking. “I have problems concluding that the pre-petition sale process was fulsome,” writes Judge Walrath in her findings on the case before pointing out that THQ had Clearlake Capital Group (the stalking horse bidder outlined in THQ’s bankruptcy filing) sign a non-disclosure agreement before the company made public that it was up for sale to the highest bidder. Further, Walrath claims that THQ received bids from “around 10 potential buyers” immediately following its public disclosure which the Judge cites as evidence that THQ was attempting to purposely obfuscate the sale of its intellectual property and physical assets in an effort to maximize the amount of cash it might raise.

In a positive note for THQ, those aforementioned “10 potential buyers” are said to include a host of big-name video game publishers, including Warner Bros. who is reportedly quite interested in THQ’s properties.

Unfortunately, if Judge Walrath has her way, THQ’s assets will be auctioned off on a first come, first served basis. She believes that while THQ has plans to use the money raised at auction to cover a $37.5 million bankruptcy loan that must be repaid by January 15, that neither THQ nor those who might soon own its properties are in any particular time crunch, and that the two groups must meet and further negotiate the terms of the bankruptcy agreement so that they might be fair to all involved parties. “I am not convinced that we are under the gun to have a sale process by the 15th,” Walrath writes.

As you might expect, Walrath’s ruling is going to necessarily extend THQ’s stay in financial purgatory. It’s unclear exactly how much longer this bankruptcy case might drag on, but Gamasutra claims that creditors have called for the process to be extended by three weeks. Expect more news on THQ’s dire straits just as soon as Judge Walrath either approves THQ’s bankruptcy plan or outright denies the entire scheme. For THQ’s sake, we’re hoping to see the former as soon as possible, but based on recent history we’re mostly expecting the latter.

Topics
Earnest Cavalli
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Earnest Cavalli has been writing about games, tech and digital culture since 2005 for outlets including Wired, Joystiq…
PlayStation Plus’ most notable free April offerings come from Microsoft
Four players stand together in the 4v4 PvP mode of Minecraft Legends.

Sony outlined all the new offerings PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers can expect in April; surprisingly, Microsoft is the company behind two of this month's four offerings, Minecraft Legends, and the Overwatch 2 Mega Bundle.

On April 2, PS Plus can get those two things free of charge in addition to Immortals of Aveum and Skul: The Hero Slayer. Immortals of Aveum is a single-player shooter where players use magic instead of weapons. Although the thing it's most notable for is flopping upon its release, Immortals of Aveum is still a solid shooter that you might have missed out on, and you should give it a shot now that you can get it through PS Plus. Meanwhile, Skul: The Hero Slayer is a tough 2D platformer roguelike that should entertain fans of that genre for quite some time.

Read more
These are the 10 best gaming PCs I’d recommend to anyone
Graphics card in the CLX Hathor PC.

We review dozens of gaming PCs each year. In 2024, there are a ton of great options, but we've narrowed down a list of the 10 best gaming desktops that deserve your hard-earned money.

In 2024, we still recommend the Alienware Aurora R16 due to its fantastic design, solid performance, and decent value. However, there are several other options depending on your needs and budget. If you want a deeper look into how we evaluate gaming PCs, make sure to read our post on how we review desktops.

Read more
Mecha Break’s robot customization shakes up the battle royale formula
Mecha Break robot head with glowing blue eyes

Mecha Break isn't the kind of multiplayer game you can master right away.

You might equip a lance that you barely know how to use because it seemed like a good idea, and spend the rest of a round attempting to bash yourself into enemies to help your teammates. It incorporates action that's more similar to that of Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon than it is to the shooter-focused gameplay in Gundam Evolution, Bandai Namco's multiplayer mecha shooter that shut down last year. Overwatch does come to mind, but in a way where mechs are still the focus rather than the pilots within them.

Read more