The publisher believes its out-of-the-ordinary track record is great for making new games

Jan 28, 2013 21:21 GMT  ·  By

Deep Silver, the games publisher owned by Koch Media, has confirmed its recent acquisition of development studio Volition and of the Saints Row and Metro franchises from bankrupt company THQ, calling the acquisition a perfect fit.

Struggling publisher THQ declared bankruptcy late last year and was forced to sell off its different properties and studios last week during an open auction.

As we saw right after that, many companies got involved in the sale, with Sega getting Relic Entertainment and its Company of Heroes franchise, while Ubisoft acquired THQ Montreal and its ongoing projects.

Among them was Koch Media, the owner of publisher Deep Silver, which previous helped release Dead Island and is getting ready to debut Dead Island: Riptide. The company not only bought the rights to the Saints Row and Metro franchises, but also acquired developer Volition.

According to the company, the new assets are a perfect fit, as it specializes in outlandish titles that aren't afraid to deliver a fun experience.

"We're really excited to lead these well-respected licenses into a bright new future," Deep Silver's International Commercial Director, Menno van der Bil, said, via CVG. "We also welcome the legendary development studio Volition to the Koch Media/Deep Silver group."

"Deep Silver already has a track record for out-of-the-ordinary games, including the immensely successful Dead Island brand. Both the Saints Row and the Metro franchises perfectly fit into our future lineup and strategy."

Deep Silver's experience has given Koch faith in the acquisition, which totaled around $28 million (€20.8 million).

"Koch Media welcomes the addition of these magnificent franchises to the Koch Media family of entertainment properties," Dr. Klemens Kundratitz, CEO of Koch Media GmbH, added.

"With more than 200 games on notable platforms globally, and its proven success creating renowned franchises like Dead Island, Deep Silver is perfectly positioned to lead these brands into the next generation of interactive entertainment for fans around the world."

Metro: Last Light is still in development at independent studio 4A Games while Volition is scheduled to complete work on Saints Row 4 this year.

As of yet, Deep Silver hasn't mentioned anything about its new release plan for the two games.