It's very important for publishers to have a diverse portfolio of recognizable properties to pull from. One easy way to establish this portfolio is to purchase existing IPs from other companies, which appears to be THQ Nordic's plan, as it has acquired two more franchises to bolster its lineup.

The two intellectual properties purchased by THQ Nordic are Alone in The Dark, a Lovecraftian horror franchise that hasn't received a mainline entry since 2008, and Act of War, a real-time strategy game. Alone In The Dark is certainly the better known of the two franchises, but it will be exciting to see what the publisher does with both properties.

THQ Nordic's expansion has been aggressive for some time now. Most recently, it acquired the Kingdoms of Amalur property, though there are still some issues with EA's ownership of the license for Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning. In addition, the company purchased Koch Media back in February, which granted THQ Nordic with rights to other major franchises like Saint's Row and Dead Island. This means they now hold one of the most impressive libraries of franchises on the market.

The question is whether or not THQ Nordic will be able to take advantage of its lineup. Alone in The Dark is a franchise beloved by many, but 2008's entry only managed to garner mixed reviews. Couple that with 2015's side entry in the franchise, Alone in The Dark: Illumination, which was panned as one of the worst games of that year, and there's a fan base that will take a quite a bit of convincing to win back. The best option would be a franchise reboot, allowing a fresh start for both old and new fans alike.

It's unlikely that THQ Nordic is completely finished with its expansion, and it should be interesting to see what the company decides to pick up next. There are tons of beloved franchises that gamers would like to see make a return, so the options are pretty much endless. That said, though, it will likely be a few years before any new games come out for these properties, but if anything, it should have gamers more excited about the THQ Nordic's future.

Source: THQ Nordic – Twitter