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In celebration of its tenth anniversary, THQ Nordic hosted a showcase with the help of The Game Awards producer Geoff Keighley. More than a simple look back at the company’s legacy, THQ Nordic showcased eight new games coming to last and next-generation hardware.
While not every THQ Nordic series was represented during the show, several beloved titles are getting major revivals — including some franchises that haven’t received a new entry in over a decade. Here are all the games that were announced during the event.
Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed
After the success of 2020’s Destroy All Humans! remake, which sold over a million copies in under a year, Black Forest Games has announced another remake: Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed. The developers showed a hilarious CGI trailer featuring a cover of the Rammstein song, “Amerika.” We also got a glimpse at some pre-alpha gameplay, which looks to offer another helping of the destructive mayhem the previous remake provided.
Reprobed will also feature new weapons that create interesting on-foot options, as well as feature improved building destruction with the flying saucer’s death ray. It’s great to see THQ Nordic continue this franchise, and Reprobed looks to be a step forward that could build towards a wholly original entry in the series. No release date was provided, but the game looks to be releasing exclusively on PC and next-generation hardware.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
After heavily indicating the presence of a new SpongeBob game on Twitter, THQ Nordic announced SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake. The game is in development at Purple Lamp Studios, which previously developed 2020’s Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated. While no gameplay was shown, there was a colorful CGI trailer showcasing the rift-based multiversal travel SpongeBob and friends will go on.
Little is known about the game itself, but it has been confirmed to be another 3D platformer. After Purple Lamp’s work on Rehydrated, The Cosmic Shake should be an exciting game. No release date was announced, but it will be available for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Outcast 2: A New Beginning
THQ Nordic made good on its promise of announcing a revival of a franchise that’s been dormant for over two decades. Outcast 2: A New Beginning marks the return of the cult-classic open-world RPG from 1999. The original Outcast was an open-world game that even predated Grand Theft Auto III. A previous attempt at a sequel, originally known as Outcast II: The Lost Paradise, was never released as its developer, Appeal, filed for bankruptcy.
The showcase provided a first look with some pre-rendered CGI and small bits of gameplay. It’s nice to see this franchise get another chance, and hopefully, this early footage will translate into a smooth finished product. No release window was announced, but it will launch on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Jagged Alliance 3
Outcast was not the only game from the ’90s that THQ Nordic saw fit to revive. Near the end of the show, Jagged Alliance 3 was announced as the proper follow-up to 1999’s Jagged Alliance 2. Since that game’s release, entries such as Jagged Alliance Online, Jagged Alliance: Back in Action, Jagged Alliance Flashback and Jagged Alliance: Rage! received negative responses.
Jagged Alliance 3, will look to bounce back from those lesser entries with the help of Tropico developer Haemimont Games. THQ Nordic showed off an action-packed CGI trailer along with a first look at its tactical gameplay. The game looks to bring new and established mercenaries to the table, allowing for deep combat and exploration elements when it launches on PC.
SuperPower 3
Yet another long-awaited revival, SuperPower 3 is the latest installment in Golem Labs’ geo-political real-time strategy franchise. SuperPower debuted in 2002, but the series went quiet after 2004’s SuperPower 2. THQ Nordic is finally reviving the series, and it showed a cinematic trailer for the game. Little was revealed about the sequel’s gameplay, but it looks to expand on SuperPower 2‘s ideas, such as the lack of a preset end date — meaning a game could conceivably go on forever. No release date was announced, but SuperPower 3 will be available exclusively on PC.
MX vs ATV Legends
Rainbow Studios returns to the MX vs ATV franchise with Legends, the series’ first game since 2018’s All Out. The off-road racing series’ returned with a CGI trailer and bits of gameplay that showcase explosive stunts and beautiful environments, all set to Sam Tinnesz’s song, “Legends Are Made.” Little else is known Legends, though it will feature a brand-new Trails mode, described as something that “pits you against nature like never before.” It will be interesting to see what kind of changes and innovations Rainbow Studios can bring to this now 16-year-old franchise. No release date was announced, MX vs ATV Legends will be available for PC, as well as both current and last-gen consoles.
ELEX II
One of two games THQ Nordic previously confirmed would appear at the showcase, ELEX II is the sequel to Piranha Bytes’ 2017 science-fantasy action RPG. While no gameplay was shown, the trailer gave an idea of where the story: Jax and Caja, two characters from the first game, will grapple with factional struggles while a new alien threat arrives in their homeworld. It looks to be an exciting direction, but it will be interesting to see how gameplay elements, such as the combat and world exploration, are improved upon for the sequel. ELEX II has no release date, but it will be available on PC and as a cross-generation console release.
Expeditions: Rome
The other of the two games confirmed to appear before the showcase, THQ Nordic offered a deep dive into Expeditions: Rome with its creative director Jonas Waever AND lead producer Sonat Ozturk. This tactical, turn-based RPG is said to be developer Logic Artists’ biggest game yet, and it is set in the ancient Roman Republic around the time of Julius Caesar. Logic Artists hopes to provide a deep story with memorable characters, including several historical figures.
Rome is the third entry in the Expeditions series following 2013’s Expeditions: Conquistador and 2017’s Expeditions: Viking. THQ Nordic acquired THE series in 2018, and it is surely hoping that this will be another solid entry for fans of strategy games to enjoy. Expeditions: Rome is planned for a release in 2021, and it will be exclusively available on PC.
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