THQ Nordic and Koch media, two members of the Embracer Group, have exchanged various game IPs, including the geo-destructible Red Faction and action RPG Risen.

Initially reported by GamesIndustry.biz, THQ Nordic revealed they would be trading the rights for the Red Faction and Painkiller series' for Koch Media's rights to the Sacred, Rush for Berlin, Second Sight, Singles: Flirt Up Your Life, and Risen properties. The biggest takeaways from this exchange are with Red Faction and Risen, both of which are returning to the homes to the studios who created the games in the first place. Volition, the creator of Red Faction, is owned by Koch Media, while Piranha Bytes, who was acquired by THQ Nordic back in May of last year, created Gothic and its spinoff series Risen.

In recent years, THQ Nordic has made a name for itself by acquiring loads of studios, expanding its behemoth of an IP catalog, and using their newfound rights to release sequels, remasters, and remakes of long-dormant franchises. In 2018, they even acquired 100% of the share capital of Koch Media and Deep Silver, which they just swapped IPs with.

With the franchises that changed hands, Koch Media came out on top in this trade by getting the rights of Red Faction. With Volition,  I don't see a situation where they don't start on a new Red Faction project right away. I would be happy with a remaster or remake with either of the original two entries, though a brand new game for either the PS5 or Xbox Series X would be great to see too.