THQ Nordic Acquires The Kingdoms Of Amalur Franchise

By Sam Quirke,

Another forgotten franchise with a cult following has been snapped up by IP-hungry publisher THQ Nordic. After news of the company's purchase of the TimeSplitters IP (and the serious possibility of an imminent sequel), the internet is now all abuzz about their acquisition of Kingdoms of Amalur.

Kingdoms of Amalur was a fairly popular 2012 fantasy ARPG on PS3 and Xbox 360, but never saw a sequel.

Kingdoms of Amalur was a reasonably popular action-RPG (though several reviews at the time were less favourable), but it has gathered a cult following in the years since as many fans feel it didn't get the second chance it deserved. It features a world concept created by R.A. Salvatore, Spawn's Todd McFarlane and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion lead designer Ken Rolston. It also has a fondly remembered orchestral score by Rare veteran Grant Kirkhope. It is among the most requested games to get backward compatibility on Xbox One or to show up on PlayStation Now, though it has never turned up on either service — presumably because of the legal minefield left in the wake of studio shut-downs.

But the acquisition of the "Amalur" concept could mean that THQ Nordic take things in a different direction. Release of the last-gen version on modern consoles would be an easy win, as would a remaster — but the original concept of the "Amalur" universe before it became Kingdoms was an MMORPG called Copernicus. It's possible that Nordic might try and revive this original concept — or at least mine the 10,000 years worth of lore that Salvatore came up with to find a completely new story to tell.

Details are thin on the ground at the moment — as they were with TimeSplitters — but it seems like THQ Nordic are moving to make a name for themselves in reviving abandoned franchises. We would be surprised if the company didn't make some sort of move to resurrect Amalur some time in the near future.

We've got the full list of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning trophies - check the list for guides to unlocking them.

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Written by Sam Quirke

Sam has been a Newshound since 2016 and is now the Editor for both TrueAchievements and TrueTrophies. He loves gaming on all devices and in all genres. He remains a stubborn Assassin's Creed and Pokémon fan.