Ubisoft confirms THQ Montreal acquisition; includes new IP

Ubisoft has confirmed its acquisition of THQ Montreal in an auction of THQ’s assets before it was dissolved.

The publisher has announced that aside from the THQ Montreal team, which will be integrated into the Ubisoft Montreal studio, the acquisition also includes a new, unannounced IP that was in development at THQ.

This unannounced IP was listed in the auction filing under the name Underdog, but no other details were made available. Another game, 1666, is also said to have been in development at THQ Montreal, with THQ having filed a trademark for it last March.

However, Ubisoft’s press release clearly mentions that its acquisition only includes one unannounced IP, which probably means that 1666 fell by the wayside somewhere over the past year.

Ubisoft also confirmed that it has acquired publishing rights for South Park: The Stick of Truth, which is being developed at Obsidian. However, while THQ had pegged the game for a 5th March release, Ubisoft’s press release gives a vague calendar 2013” release window, signalling a possible delay.

Ubisoft reportedly paid $2.5 million for the acquisition of THQ Montreal, while the South Park publishing rights cost it $3.26 million. Ubisoft had also put in a bid for Volition Inc, but its $5.4 million offer fell well short of Koch Media’s winning bid of $22.3 million.

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