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THQ Nordic acquires Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy, War Leaders, and Legends of War IPs

T

thefro

Member
Another old THQ IP in the fold.

http://news.cision.com/thq-nordic-a...dditions-to-the-thq-nordic-portfolio,c2137262

PR said:
Karlstad (Sweden), December 5 : Today, THQ Nordic announced that an asset purchase agreement with Mobile Gaming Studios Ltd. and Enigma Software Productions S.L. has been closed.

Here is an extract of the acquired franchises and brands:

Sphinx (and the Cursed Mummy); Mobile Gaming Studios Ltd.
War Leaders: Clash of Nations (Enigma Software Productions S.L.)
Legends of War (Enigma Software Productions S.L.)

Lars Wingefors, founder and Group CEO, comments:

“Due to our love for these types of games they were natural acquisition targets, however this financially a smaller acquisition it adds up to our portfolio” said Lars Wingefors Group-CEO, THQ Nordic. “Moreover, we also got a lot of messages from fans that encouraged us to add them to our portfolio. Among these titles, Sphinx (and the Cursed Mummy) is very well suited for the Nintendo audience – which we love to support. We are excited for Nintendo Switch, Nintendos new platform, and already have two other projects in development for it”, Wingefors continues.
Click to expand...

H/T to Penguin for finding the link
 
P

Plinko

Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
They specifically said Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy would be good for the "Nintendo audience." I've been wanting a sequel to this for years.
 
T

Thraktor

Member
We are excited for Nintendo Switch, Nintendos new platform, and already have two other projects in development for it.
Click to expand...

This is interesting, I wonder what the two projects are. A Darksiders collection might make sense at launch.
 
S

Skittzo0413

Member
Thraktor said:
This is interesting, I wonder what the two projects are. A Darksiders collection might make sense at launch.
Click to expand...

Two "other" definitely makes it seem like Sphinx is one, and there will be two more. I know there was a report a few days ago that they had a few games in development, so I guess we now know that's three total.
 
S

SolidSnakex

Member
DXB-KNIGHT said:
Nintendo Switch mention was out of place especially that they acquired mobile developers,

Or WAS IT!
Click to expand...

Well, Sphinx is an old console platformer. It came out during the PS2 generation when it seemed like every company wanted to have an action platformer. You had games like Sphinx, Vexx, Haven and even that Pitfall reboot.
 
M

maxcriden

Member
I tried Sphinx on PS2 a few years back and found it really clunky and couldn't get into it. Does it get a lot better after the beginning stage or does it just not hold up as well today?
 
S

Steveo

Banned
This game was great, the lack of voice acting is the only negative I can remember about it.

One of the most hidden gems of the GC/XB/PS2 era.
 
J

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
matrixman92 said:
SPHINX HD pls!!!
Click to expand...

That the game is being prepared for release on the Switch (and indeed other platforms as Nordic doesn't engage in arbitrary exclusivity) can only mean that a remaster is in the works.

It's a bummer that the Destroy All Humans games weren't given the same treatment, however I can only assume that Nordic's hands were tied (e.g. no or incomplete source code).
 
D

Dark Cloud

Member
OMGGG I want a new Sphinx game! I loved that game as a kid on the Gamecube and I've always wanted a sequel to it. I haven't played it in forever.
 
T

Thraktor

Member
Skittzo0413 said:
Two "other" definitely makes it seem like Sphinx is one, and there will be two more. I know there was a report a few days ago that they had a few games in development, so I guess we now know that's three total.
Click to expand...

Yes, but I'd assume the Sphinx game is only in the early planning stages at this point, if they only just bought the IP. Looking at what games they currently have in development, I'd assume one of their other titles is a Darksiders collection and the other is probably Elex (sci-fi RPG by the team behind Gothic and Risen).
 
J

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
Zukkoyaki said:
Is Nordic ever going to announce some games or are they just seeing how many IPs they can acquire?
Click to expand...

It's working on a new Aquanox game and had intended to get the ball rolling on Titan Quest 2. I suspect the issue with the latter was that Nordic wanted Crate Entertainment to helm the project but it passed as it couldn't commit without adversely impacting Grim Dawn's roadmap (there's to be at least one expansion), and out of respect for the ex-Iron Lore folks that founded the studio, Nordic is sitting on the idea until Grim Dawn is complete.
 
D

DrWong

Member
Regarding new games, Elex is a good candidate but I think Aquanox Deep Descent (2017) would be an even better candidate for Switch, if you look at its features:
- Fight - Action-packed vehicle shooter combat that supports a wide variety of play styles
- Co-op - 4 player drop-in co-op, with four unique pilots who are all involved in the game story
- Customize - Create your ship from an extensive range of ship pieces and various customization options
- Explore - Discover the deepest corners of the ocean
- RPG Elements - Mining, salvaging, trading and looting
- PVP - Classic multiplayer modes, including Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch Dogfighting
Click to expand...
The Guild 3 (also 2017) is too PC centric for the Switch I believe. Same for SpellForce 3 but it's more action focused (rts/multiplayer) though.
 
C

Colonel Mustard

Banned
What a bizarre name drop. "Well, we've acquired Sphynx and the Cursed Mummy IP...also we love Nintendo and are supporting the Switch."

So basically, Sphynx and the Cursed Mummy HD confirmed.
 
K

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
Sphynx and the Cursed Mummy HD for Switch, who would have thought? I don't know about this, let's see how it looks.
 
S

Slermy

Member
Glad to see all of the 'Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy' love here. I'd love to see an HD re-release, though it could really benefit from the addition of voice acting.

That title screen/music is epic.
 
F

Fisty

Member
Very cool, I really enjoyed the Legends of War: Patton game on Vita, and I hope to see more from that series.
 
B

Blade30

Unconfirmed Member
Man I almost read Splinter Cell instead "Sphinx and the Cursed..." and was wtf..? for a split second.
Nordic keeps buying all this IPs, but when are they making the games, like Darksiders 3 or that Aquanox game?
 
R

RyType

Member
maxcriden said:
I tried Sphinx on PS2 a few years back and found it really clunky and couldn't get into it. Does it get a lot better after the beginning stage or does it just not hold up as well today?
Click to expand...

I'd give it another try- even at the time, sphinx didn't grab me straight away and really, the puzzle sections where you play as the mummy are the best parts of the game in my opinion.
Thought the game held up fine but it can feel a bit clunky with the combat from what I remember.
 
V

Vazra

irresponsible vagina leak
Sphinx aged well and while the combat is not the strongest aspect its still functional and enjoyable. The mummy sections were awesome tho.
 
C

Clessidor

Member
DrWong said:
Regarding new games, Elex is a good candidate but I think Aquanox Deep Descent (2017) would be an even better candidate for Switch, if you look at its features:

The Guild 3 (also 2017) is too PC centric for the Switch I believe. Same for SpellForce 3 but it's more action focused (rts/multiplayer) though.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Elex and Aquanox would be the candidates I'm hoping for. Just rewatched the Aquanox Pre-Alpha footage from Gamescom. And that game looks like really fun already. And a coop-mode would totally make sense for Nintendo Switch.

EDIT: But back to topic. It's funny to see THQ Nordic acquiring more and more IP's. A really ambitioned company.
 
S

Shin Johnpv

Member
maxcriden said:
I tried Sphinx on PS2 a few years back and found it really clunky and couldn't get into it. Does it get a lot better after the beginning stage or does it just not hold up as well today?
Click to expand...

The clunkyness was just a part of the PS2 version. I found the controls on the GC and Xbox versions infinitely better.
 
M

maxcriden

Member
RyType said:
I'd give it another try- even at the time, sphinx didn't grab me straight away and really, the puzzle sections where you play as the mummy are the best parts of the game in my opinion.
Thought the game held up fine but it can feel a bit clunky with the combat from what I remember.
Click to expand...

Shin Johnpv said:
The clunkyness was just a part of the PS2 version. I found the controls on the GC and Xbox versions infinitely better.
Click to expand...

Oh, that's great to know. Thank you both. I'll check out GCN if there's no remaster coming soon. :)
 
H

Hero of Legend

Member
18-Volt said:
Eurocom is no longer around, who else could possibly develop a great Sphinx sequel?
Click to expand...

EightPixelsSquare seems to be the successor to Eurocom, and I believe that Mobile Gaming Studios Ltd IS them, since googling that name brings up EightPixelsSquare as the very first result. Might just be a different brand name/sister company, dunno.

Hopefully they're recruited for a remaster. Even if Kaiko seems to be a good team for what they are and what time and budget THQ Nordic give them (they're not perfect as both Kay and DS1 have issues). I would hope they get as much of the original team to help out the very likely remaster (as pointed out, they almost seem to confirm it for Switch).
 
D

Dr Zhivago

Member
Shiggy said:
Who's that company that acquired Sphinx in the first place? And when did that happen?
Click to expand...

Mobile Gaming Studios Ltd appears to be the holding company for Eight Pixels Square, which is the company set up by Eurocom's founders. They're still in the same offices with a lot of the same staff.
Seems that 8PS bought the Sphinx IP from the liquidators and have decided to sell it on, so I presume a different dev will be behind the new game. The general feeling around the ex-Eurocom people is all the code & assets survived, so it should be possible to do a decent remake/remaster.
 
M

Myriadis

Member
Sweet! Sphinx and the cursed mummy was a fairly decent game, where the sphinx portions had some nice Zelda like gameplay and the mummy parts being some of the best puzzle platforming sections ever created.
 
O

Orniletter

Banned
Sorry for bumping this old thread, but holy fucking shit, Sphinx was one of my favourite GC games and I was 100% sure that the IP was ultra dead.

I'd absolutely love to play a remastered version.
 
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