THQ

THQ Inc. was an American video game company based in Agoura Hills, California. It was founded in April 1990 by Jack Friedman, originally in Calabasas, and became a public company the following year through a reverse merger takeover. Initially working in the toy business, it expanded into the video game business through several acquisitions before shifting its focus away from toys entirely. THQ continued its trend of acquiring companies throughout the 2000s. The company published both internally created and externally licensed content in its product portfolio. THQ's internally created game series included Darksiders, De Blob, Destroy All Humans!, MX vs. ATV, Red Faction, and Saints Row, among others. The company also held exclusive, long-term licensing agreements with sports and entertainment content creators, such as Disney/Pixar, DreamWorks Animation, Nickelodeon, and WWE. After years of financial struggles, stock value drop, and debt, THQ filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2012 and commenced liquidation of its assets the following month. Several properties were auctioned to other companies, while the remaining staff were laid off. The "THQ" trademark was eventually acquired by developer Nordic Games (which had also acquired some of THQ's auctioned-off properties) in 2014 and assumed the name "THQ Nordic" in 2016, while continuing a variety of its franchises under said name.