Back in the late 1990s and 2000s, THQ and Nickelodeon worked together to release several licensed titles on various platforms. While these titles did vary in quality, many of them still hold a fond place in gamer's hearts. Now, over five years after the original THQ shut down, Nickelodeon announced that they are now working with THQ Nordic in order to revive several older games that have a connection to their properties on modern platforms.
This partnership will definitely result in the re-release of some older games on new platforms, but it remains to be seen if this partnership will result in brand new titles. You can check out the full list of Nickelodeon properties that will benefit from this partnership below:
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Back at the Barnyard
- Catscratch
- Danny Phantom
- El Tigre
- Invader Zim
- Jimmy Neutron
- My Life As A Teenage Robot
- Rocket Power
- Rocko's Modern Life
- Rugrats
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Tak and the Power Of Juju
- The Fairly OddParents (in the US)
- The Ren & Stimpy Show
- The Wild Thornberrys
Jon Roman, Senior Vice President of Toys at Nickelodeon, commented on this new partnership with THQ Nordic:
"The appetite for Nickelodeon content old and new continues to grow and it’s exciting to bring our beloved content to new audiences through this partnership with THQ Nordic. These titles were popular when they were first released and we can’t wait for fans around the world to rediscover their favorites."
Meanwhile, THQ Nordic's Vice President of Digital Sales & Business Development in the Americas Adrienne Lauer discussed inheriting a partnership from the old THQ:
"This one hits close to home! We are very proud of signing this agreement, which was originally executed by the “former” THQ Inc. We believe the combination of strong licenses and solid, crisp gameplay was one of THQ Inc’s trademark strategies, and we intend to continue this tradition. I am confident we chose one of the strongest partners for doing just that. It is a perfect fit for our “asset care” strategy: bringing back fan-favorites, continuing to support legacy games and make them available on current and even next-gen platforms."
As a fan of games like SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom and Tak and the Power of Juju, I am definitely glad to see that some of those games will see a second chance. THQ Nordic promises to share information on "on-shelf availability" soon, and DualShockers will be sure to let you know when they do.