THQ Nordic buys Kingdoms of Amalur rights

THQ Nordic, the developer of Darksiders and Titan Quest, has bought the rights to Kingdoms of Amalur. The franchise first belonged to 38 Studios, which closed in 2012. It is not yet known whether there will actually be a new Kingdoms of Amalur game.

THQ Nordic made the news via Twitter known. In addition to the rights to Kingdoms of Amalur, the Swedish developer also owns the rights to Project Copernicus. This was an unfinished mmorpg set in the KoA universe. What THQ Nordic plans to do with both Project Copernicus and Kingdoms of Amalur is not yet known.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is the only game that 38 Studios has released. It was released on February 7, 2012 for Xbox 360, Windows, and Playstation 3. KoA: Reckoning is a hack-and-slash RPG created in collaboration with Big Huge Games, of Rise of Nations fame, and published by EA. Ken Rolston, lead designer of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, was also the lead designer for this game, and Todd McFarlane, the mastermind behind the comic book hero Spawn, led the design team. Three DLC packs followed: The Legend of Dead Kel, Teeth of Naros, and a Weapon-and-Armour Bundle.

There were plans for a sequel, but they were eventually scrapped. The studio ran into serious financial problems. It had borrowed $75 million from the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation to develop Project Copernicus. 38 Studios was unable to repay the amount and had to close. In 2016, the court ruled that the studio was not prosecuted.