Editing THQ (section)

{{Short description|American video game company}}
{{About|the defunct American video game company}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{Infobox company
| name = THQ Inc.
| logo = THQ logo 2011.svg
| logo_caption = Final logo, used from 2011 to 2013
| type = [[Public company|Public]]
| traded_as = {{Unbulleted list|{{NASDAQ was|THQI}} (1991–2012)|{{OTC Pink was|THQIQ}} (2012–2013)}}
| ISIN = {{ISIN|sl=n|pl=y|US8724434035}}
| industry = [[Video game industry|Video games]]
| fate = [[Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code|Chapter 11 bankruptcy]]
| founded = {{Start date and age|1990|04}}<ref name="LA Times 1991">{{cite news |title=THQ's Video-Game Success Comes With Betting on Winners |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-24-fi-936-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=May 1, 2022 |date=December 24, 1991 |first=James F. |last=Peltz |archive-date=July 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716232252/http://articles.latimes.com/1991-12-24/business/fi-936_1_video-game-market |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Founding">{{cite web |url=http://investor.thq.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=96376&p=irol-IRHome |title=Investor Relations |website=THQ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216150054/http://investor.thq.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=96376&p=irol-IRHome |archive-date=December 16, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> in [[Calabasas, California]], US
| founder = [[Jack Friedman]]
| defunct = {{End date and age|2013|01|23}}
| hq_location_city = [[Agoura Hills, California]]
| hq_location_country = US
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = {{Unbulleted list|Brian Farrell ([[chairman]], [[Chief executive officer|CEO]])|[[Jason Rubin]] ([[President (corporate title)|president]])}}
| products = {{Collapsible list
|''[[Bratz#Video games|Bratz]]'' series
|''[[Company of Heroes]]'' series
|''[[Darksiders]]'' series
|''[[De Blob]]'' series
|''[[Destroy All Humans!]]'' series
|''[[MX vs. ATV]]'' series
|''[[Red Faction]]'' series
|''[[Saints Row]]'' series
|''[[SpongeBob SquarePants video games|SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' series
|''[[List of Games Workshop video games#Warhammer 40,000|Warhammer 40,000]]'' series
|''[[WWE 2K|WWE]]'' series
}}
}}

'''THQ Inc.''' was an American [[video game industry|video game]] company based in [[Agoura Hills, California]]. It was founded in April 1990 by [[Jack Friedman]], originally in [[Calabasas, California|Calabasas]], and became a [[public company]] the following year through a [[reverse merger takeover]]. Initially working in the toy business, it expanded into the video game business through several acquisitions before shifting its focus away from toys entirely. THQ continued its trend of acquiring companies throughout the 2000s.

The company published both internally created and externally [[Brand licensing|licensed]] content in its product [[Portfolio (finance)|portfolio]]. THQ's internally created game series included ''[[Darksiders]]'', ''[[De Blob]]'', ''[[Destroy All Humans!]]'', ''[[MX vs. ATV]]'', ''[[Red Faction]]'', and ''[[Saints Row]]'', among others. The company also held exclusive, long-term licensing agreements with [[sport]]s and [[entertainment]] content creators, such as [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]], [[DreamWorks Animation]], [[Nickelodeon]], and [[WWE]].

After years of financial struggles, stock value drop, and [[debt]], THQ filed for [[Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code|Chapter 11 bankruptcy]] in December 2012 and commenced [[liquidation]] of its assets the following month. Several properties were [[auction]]ed to other companies, while the remaining staff were laid off. The "THQ" trademark was eventually acquired by developer [[Embracer Group|Nordic Games]] (which had also acquired some of THQ's auctioned-off properties) in 2014 and assumed the name "[[THQ Nordic]]" in 2016, while continuing a variety of their franchises under said name.