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EA interested in THQ assets - Report

Mass Effect publisher joins Warner Bros. as potential bidder for bankrupt publisher's franchises and studios; assets will be sold piecemeal.

188 Comments

Mass Effect and FIFA publisher Electronic Arts has joined media giant Warner Bros. as a potential bidder for bankrupt publisher THQ's assets. Writing from inside a bankruptcy court hearing today, Distressed Debt Investing reported that not only is EA interested in THQ's franchises and studios, but the publisher "has completed site visits" as well.

No Caption Provided

An EA representative declined to comment.

It was also revealed today in the court proceedings that stalking-horse bidder Clearlake Capital Group has agreed to allow bids for individual THQ titles. Previously, the firm was only planning to accept all-or-nothing bids, something creditors and US Trustee Roberta DeAngelis took issue with.

Last week, THQ banker Sam Greene revealed there were five active potential bidders for THQ's franchises and studios. EA and Warner Bros. are the only two named thus far, though Ubisoft had previously expressed interest in the company's games, with CEO Yves Guillemot saying in November, "They have good things."

What's more, Clearlake also moved today to extend its deadline for competing bids for its $60 million offer until January 15, an extension of five days over the previous January 10 end date. However, US Bankruptcy Court Judge Mary Walrath did not approve this timeline, saying it remained too short.

Parties later in the day agreed on a January 22 auction date, during which THQ assets can be purchased individually.

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deactivated-5e7bc3a3dbc4d

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@kamikazeespleen A kickstarter fund to buy the assets is more probable.

Funny thing is, I actually don't see a kickstarter idea as a bad one.

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King9999

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Edited By King9999

Just stopping by for the entertainment the comments will provide...

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kamikazeespleen

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Edited By kamikazeespleen

If EA get the rights to THQ's assets, we should all start a twitter campaign! #cutforTHQ.

That totally hasn't been done anytime before. Anyone with me?!?

Guys?

:(

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HiroArka

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Look on the bright side! EA might add Costume DLC for Saints Row 4 where you can be Isaac Clark or Shepard ( plus other EA Characters ) for only $4 a costume.

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green_abobo

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does this mean devils third will be an EA game now?

i certainly hope not.

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Sgthombre

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Wait, didn't EA lose money hand over fist this past quarter? Where the hell are they getting the money to even make an offer on this stuff?

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CincoToes

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@Sgthombre They're not living hand to mouth.

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---Cipher---

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Edited By ---Cipher---

WE ARE EA, RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. Or is it more of an EXTERMINATE!!!? I think EA has found and mastered the beautiful art of assimilating like the Borg AND destroying everything like the Daleks... RIP THQ, you'll possibly be joining BioWare soon...

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Sgthombre

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@---Cipher--- At least the Borg do it in order to get closer to perfection. EA just does it for the cash.

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DarthLod

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The gestapo spreads!!!! Look what they did to Bioware!!!!

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svaubel

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I hope this is not true. All we need is another smaller publisher to get absorbed into the cancerous mass that is EA where it will stagnate until it gets shut down within 3 years.

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TheCyborgNinja

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Edited By TheCyborgNinja

Anything EA or Activision buys equals a death sentence for whatever it is. I hope Metro, Darksiders, Saints Row, and Red Faction do NOT end up with either of them.

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FAIL_TR0LL

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Knowing Eddie's penchant for trolling, I'm going to say this an entirely fabricated story.

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beast70

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noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

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Master_Turismo

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Warner Brothers better beat the tar out of EA in this one.

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Sefrix

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http://nooooooooooooooo.com/

Also: I'm really starting to miss THQ already. EA having control over Warhammer 40k would be a nightmare.

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beast70

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@Sefrix

they would need GW approval IIRC the contract GW has with thq is ONLY thq may publish the games not EA.

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Sefrix

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Edited By Sefrix

@beast70 Yeah not sure about the legality, but faced with no Runic made games or EA published games I feel they would pick EA published and keep Runic. OMG Runic would become a zombie dev like Bioware :(

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MJ12-Conspiracy

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I'd rather see THQ fizzle out and burn to the ground and their franchises stay in limbo rather than EA getting any of 'em.....

EA has ruined enough franchises and spilled enough bad blood....

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strawberry9

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**** YOU EA!!! **** YOU!!! STEP THE **** AWAY YOU GREEDY FUCKER!

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jessie82

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SR3 + ea = RIP

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Darth_Ultima

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The most unsurprising headline in the world. We all know that EA is a scavenger that prefers others to do all the hard work before they come to pick the corpse clean.

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codeman101360

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31g0YE61PLQ

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deactivated-5e7bc3a3dbc4d

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I'd rather the IP assets turn to dust than EA get their hands on them.

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debryson

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Darksiders and Metro to Warner Bros. PLZ!!!!!!!

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jhunter28

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Please no

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SDBusDriver1979

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Whelp better start buying all those THQ games before EA buys them out, pulled down all the games, require an Origin account, and can only buy it off of Origin.com.

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Supreme_Bananas

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I'm actually quite happy about this. Say what you want about their business practices, at least they deliver good online stability. The online functionality for any THQ game was horrible, especially UFC

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X-RS

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@Supreme_Bananas

FFS I don't need yearly installments of THQ franchises and the whole lemming cycle with servers dying after a year.

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fatee

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@Supreme_Bananas You mean your own internet? Not sure what platform you are playing on - but for PC every game is hosted on your own computer.

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Supreme_Bananas

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@fatee I played the WWE and UFC games on my PS3.

I admit my internet connection isn't exactly stellar, but I've never played games that were so laggy and had so much random disconnects as those two

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whiteagle18

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Lol, EA would take the strategy out of CoH, make Metro an action packed military shooter, force on-line multiplayer down every THQ games throat, and kill off ever non-5mil seller franchise.

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Edunear

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Edited By Edunear

Leave them alone, You evil being you,

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madman683

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this is bad news! EA will continue to suck the life out of THQ.

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MetalGinger

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Just dont let EA take CoH franchise and I will be happy.. Cough..C&C..cough ..

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iBuzz7S

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YAY! Online pass for local co-op access. Oh wait, that was THQ and Saints Row: The Third.

EA have already bought the rights for UFC video games. I actually believe, as much as I'd have to admit it, they will do a great job. It sucks because their servers aren't the greatest, but at least it's in the hands of a company who know how to do sport games (excluding NBA).

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jesuspantoja00

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no no no wtf hell no bad move really bad move no thq deserves better than that please no dont surrender so easily thq i know theres better out there not dissing ea but come on now ea is sports thq isnt

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