"Better Conditions Are Earned"

Metro: Last Light creative director Andrew Prokhorov has spoken out to confirm that 4A Games suffered through truly appalling working conditions in their Kiev studio, following a sensational report from ex-THQ CEO Jason Rubin. However, instead of attacking his employers, the zen developer simply suggests that sub-zero temperatures and power outages are just a part of the job, and consumers shouldn't cut them any slack.

4A Faced Power Outages, Below-Freezing Temperatures & More

Ex-THQ boss Jason Rubin claims that 4A Games created Metro: Last Light in utterly abysmal working conditions, and on a shoestring budget to boot. It's possible that the freezing, cramped and dank Kiev studio actually provided inspiration for Metro 2033's bleaker moments...

Former THQ executive Danny Bilson has reflected on his time at THQ, speaking out in a new interview about his belief in the company during the time that he was there, and discussed the company's fall from grace and his responsibly and role (or lack thereof)  in the THQ story.

Double Fine's Tim Schafer has said that the developers are looking to reacquire the distribution rights for digital title Costume Quest and Stacking.

Darksiders II Limited Edition | £9.99 | Zavvi
Xbox 360 Price Comparison | Darksiders II Review

Great spot by JakeeHD.

In another surprising twist, Nordic Games (the Viennese company behind JoWood, the Wii Sing series and DreamCatcher) have dropped $4.9 million for over 150 THQ licenses. Having secured the likes of Darksiders, Red Faction, Destroy All Humans! and more, Nordic have promised not to "dash into" anything, and instead take a good long look at how best to continue some of these brands.

Most of THQ's game brands or intellectual properties (IPs) were snatched up in January, with the likes of Saints Row, Homefront and Metro quickly finding new owners, mainly due to development for the next titles in the series already being well under way. However, a few IPs were unsold, meaning a secondary auction would be required. Bidding has just ended with 17 bids to be offered to the courts.

Names of bidders and what they bid on are yet to be revealed, but Polygon have dug out a few details. The IPs were bundled into six different lots as listed below:

• What: Darksiders II
• Where: WowHD
• Current Price: £5.99
• Darksiders II PC price comparison
• Darksiders II Review

A couple of today’s daily deals from online retailers are asking for just under £9 for this one, but as long as you’re willing to wait for delivery WowHD’s deal works out the cheapest. It beats the next best offers from Gamersgate and Steam by almost £3.

Although it wasn’t a huge improvement over its predecessor, refined combat and varied loot ensured that the return to the apocalypse was an enjoyable one. It may not be genre-defining and feel a little rough around the edges, but for the price it’s certainly worth checking out.

• What: Darksiders & Red Faction: Armageddon
• Where: Humble Weekly Sale
• Current Price: £0.66 Minimum
• Darksiders Review
• Red Faction: Armageddon Review

The latest Humble Weekly Sale lets you grab two THQ games for the price of a packet of posh crisps. If you want, you can even chip in an extra £4 for Darksiders II as well.

• What: Darksiders II
• Where: Zavvi
• Current Price: £14.98
• Darksiders II Price Comparison
• Darksiders II Review

It's back! Yes, Zavvi's infamous sub-£15 price for Darksiders 2's Wii U version has returned, allowing you to spend very little on a solid and enjoyable game. Despite not exactly showing off the hardware, this is still one of the best games for the platform at the moment. Thanks to PickVanCleef at HotUKDeals for noting that Zavvi are back in stock.

• What: Darksiders II
• Where: Zavvi
• Current Price: £14.98
• Darksiders II Price Comparison
• Darksiders II Review

This is the cheapest price we've seen for the Wii U version of the game and it's only a few quid more then the PS3/360 version. With this one you get the DLC thrown in too, so technically this is better value for money. The main advantage of the Wii U version is being able to use the gamepad screen to manage your inventory. A neat touch, but hardly mind-blowing.

Thanks to tinodz at HotUkDeals.

• What: Red Faction: Armageddon
• Where: Asda
• Current Price: £5
• Red Faction: Armageddon Price Comparison
• Red Faction: Armageddon Review

Is this the last Red Faction game we'll ever see? Hopefully the brand will find a new home after the recent demise of THQ. This third-person action series goes beneath the surface of mars to fight off the alien hordes. Pleasing weapons like the magnet gun which violently tethers objects together and a solid campaign make this a title worth so much more than its current £5 price tag. Plus the lead dude looks like Louie Spence which is always amusing.

When THQ's assets went to auction last week, Saints Row was snapped up by Deep Silver-owners Koch Media, and although the move has made the European publisher and distributor more visible, CEO Klemens Kundratitz has stated that he's keen to forge a different path to success than others in the industry, and avoid simply being "the next THQ".

Former Midway Games VP of business development and licensing, Lee Jacobson, has suggested that companies need to be more decisive when it comes to greenlighting and canning projects, in order to avoid the same fate as publishers such as Midway and, more recently, THQ.

You have to feel for Jason Rubin and the rest of THQ, which was dismantled and sold off in parts to the highest bidders last week. With the remaining tidbits from the now-defunct publisher's back-catalogue to be sold off in the next few weeks, Rubin took a moment to reflect on the situation, suggesting that had THQ been able to survive for another couple of years, a complete shift towards digital distribution and variable business models might have saved it.

This week saw the sad end of an era as THQ’s assets were finally sold off at auction. While many of the licenses, franchises and development teams found new homes, there were a few that are still holding out hope for a lifeline. Check out Jon’s roundup of who has gone where in his feature article.

Amongst all the misery, there have been numerous reminders of some of the great times THQ games have provided over the years. So here’s my tribute to some of the best games I’ve played from THQ over the years on this generation of consoles.

• What: Saints Row: The Third
• Where: ShopTo PS3 | 360
• Current Price: £9.85
• Saints Row: The Third PS3 | 360 price comparison
• Saints Row: The Third Review

You're really missing out if you've not given this a shot yet. Volition's open world crime-sim is one of the funnest games of the generation. Forget GTA, this is the ultimate open world playground. Packed full of side-missions, collectables, excellent vehicle handling, loads of weapons, funny characters and outrageous set-pieces you can lose yourself for weeks in the world of Steelport. Go on, gaming's meant to be fun remember.

Thanks to Beechwoodsmiths at HotUkDeals.

This we discuss the enormous auction for THQ's assets and the sale of their top franchises; we get very excited over Project X-Zone and the Nintendo/Atlus mashup; we look a little at the recent marketing-related controversies and pick apart American McGee's recent comments; and we touch upon Microsoft and Sony's recent financial reports.

Game Buzz | Episode 16 - Dismembering THQ. Recorded 25th January, 2012.

Parental Advisory: We've tried to keep it as conversational and informal as possible, and you should be warned that there may be some instances of strong language.

Click the banner at the top to play the file, or right click and select 'Save Link As' to download the file onto your hard drive.

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The vultures have had their fill. THQ lies bleaching in the cold winter sun, its juicy assets, studios and properties stripped from the carcass during yesterday's feeding frenzy that saw over $100 million change hands. All that remains is a final 'Chapter 11' sell-off before THQ dies completely.

How the mighty have fallen. Starting life in 1990, Toy Head Quarters swelled into a publishing titan worth a billion dollars in revenue, but their lust to grow as fast as possible left them with too many studios, too many licenses, and so rarely the massive mega-hits they so desperately needed. After dealing themselves a raw hand with the Udraw tablet, the last few years saw them continually shedding and shelving projects in a bid to keep afloat. It wasn't enough, and their desperate last-ditch effort to sell themselves wholesale to a stalking horse investor spectacularly backfired what now seems like a lifetime ago.

But while many IPs and studios have been left out in the cold (Vigil Games, Red Faction and Homeworld among them), many more have found new homes, new publishers and potentially new opportunities to keep doing what they do best: creating great games for us to play. To this end, we're going to take a close look at where THQ's assets have ended up, and what their new owners plan to do with them.

The auction has come and gone, and THQ's properties were sold off overnight. As rumoured, SEGA snapped up Warhammer 40K developer Relic; Koch Media and Deep Silver bought Saints Row devs Volition and the rights to the Metro franchise; Crytek have purchased  the Homefront IP; Take-Two bought Evolve; and Ubisoft bought THQ Montreal and the rights to South Park: The Stick of Truth.