NASDAQ delists THQ following bankruptcy filing

By Earnest Cavalli January 2, 2013

Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to report any positive news about publisher THQ, and today’s latest does nothing to change that. During the recent holiday season THQ was dropped from NASDAQ listings. The reason? NASDAQ rules require that a listed company’s stock maintain a value of at least $1 per share. On December 19, the day THQ announced that it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the company’s stock dipped to $0.36 per share. It currently trades at $0.22 per share.

So what happens now? For the moment, THQ will continue to be traded on other stock markets, specifically over-the-counter markets that operate via telephone and Internet, instead of a trading floor. Once the company’s bankruptcy proceedings conclude however, THQ will become a privately-owned company with no stock to speak of. The firm’s stated goal is to slowly work its way back up to prominence from its newly-humble status, and being a privately-owned video game publisher would allow it to take more risks and be an undeniably more agile company. It would obviously have less money available, but there are worse places to start ones re-ascent to the top of the gaming world.

Whether THQ will succeed in its mission or not is anyone’s guess. The good news though is that even if THQ completely dies off, the company’s intellectual properties are too valuable to really vanish for too long. Saints Row and Darksiders games will be made by somebody, somewhere, and fans of the WWE will never have to worry if there’s a company out there willing to throw together a virtual wrestling game. That said, we’ve previously applauded THQ’s attempts to avoid lay-offs throughout its financial struggles and hope that the company can maintain that stance. We’ll bring you more on THQ’s status as it emerges.

Topics

Business

Earnest Cavalli

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Earnest Cavalli has been writing about games, tech and digital culture since 2005 for outlets including Wired, Joystiq…

Gaming

Hades 2 shows the Steam Deck’s biggest advantage over the Nintendo Switch

A Steam Deck sits next to a Switch OLED.

It's always an exciting week when the sequel to one of the greatest games of all time surprise releases on a Monday. That's what happened on May 6 when Hades 2 surprise launched into early access. Players are already diving into the surprisingly robust roguelike, testing their might in its new biomes. I've been enjoying it myself from the comfort of my couch -- and not on my Nintendo Switch, where I played the first Hades. Instead, I'm curled up with my Steam Deck.

The PC-only launch means that Hades 2 is a Steam Deck "exclusive" for the time being (or at least exclusive to portable PCs like it and the Asus ROG Ally). It'll likely come to Nintendo's system -- or its predecessor -- once it hits 1.0, but developer Supergiant doesn't expect its game to leave early access until at least the end of 2024. Until then, you'll need a device like the Steam Deck to play it on the go. That's a reminder that Valve has beaten the Switch at its own game, and Nintendo will have to get creative again with its next system to regain its throne.
Early access on the go
Based on my time with it so far, Hades 2 is a phenomenal match for the Steam Deck. It's already Verified for the platform, and for good reason. It looks fantastic (especially on an OLED screen) and runs smoothly. I've already taken it on the go and found that it's not a huge drain on the Steam Deck's battery. At this point, I don't imagine I'll need to play it any other way.

Gaming

Before you play Homeworld 3, try this VR game as a primer

Two fleets fight in Homeworld: Vast Reaches.

Homeworld 3 launches next week, but there's a game Homeworld fans who own a Meta Quest 2 or 3 should check out right now. Homeworld: Vast Reaches, which came to Meta's VR headsets on May 2, is a prequel set between the events of the first two Homeworld games. This VR game offers up the core Homeworld experience in a novel niche of the video game medium.

It's not as deep or complex as Homeworld 3 looks, but it doesn't need to be. Vast Reaches immerses players in the franchise's universe once again and reacquaints them with the basics of its real-time strategy combat ahead of a highly anticipated new entry on PC. As such, checking out Vast Reaches should make this last week of waiting for Homeworld 3 a little less painful.
Homeworld, but in VR
Homeworld: Vast Reaches was developed by FarBridge, who has previously worked on VR games like Walkabout Mini Golf, Dragon Fight VR, and Jar Wars. Made with Gearbox Entertainment's support and blessing, it boils Homeworld down to its core elements and rebuilds it in VR. Players control a new Fleet Command connected to Karan S'jet's Mothership, which is the conceit behind how players view battles.

Gaming

Nintendo confirms that Switch 2 and a June Direct are coming

A Nintendo Switch Red and Blue system.

Nintendo has finally confirmed two important things that people were speculating about. First off, we learned that another Nintendo Direct showcase will be taking place this June. More importantly, Nintendo finally confirmed that it is working on a Nintendo Switch successor and said we'd learn more about it within this fiscal year.

This all came from a statement by President Shuntaro Furukawa on Nintendo's corporate X (formerly Twitter) account. "We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year. It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015," the post confirms. "We will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation."