THQ Nordic has been snatching up videogame rights for over half a decade now, and every new announcement provides a fresh reminder about both beloved classics and games you probably don’t even remember the existence of. We’ve got one of each today, as the publisher has picked up Alone in the Dark and Act of War from Atari Europe.
The original Alone in the Dark defined the 3D survival horror genre, a template that would later be refined and expanded by the likes of Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Two direct sequels quickly followed, as well as a fourth title several years later. The less said about the 2008 game, the better, and somehow an even worse online-only shooter was released in 2015.
Act of War was an RTS developed by Eugen Systems and released back in 2005. It featured a modern plot penned by military novelist Dale Brown, and garnered fairly positive reviews at the time of its launch.
As usual, we don’t know exactly what THQ Nordic’s plans for all these titles are. Act of War is still available on both Steam and GOG, and most of the Alone in the Dark series is similarly available across both platforms. Most of those titles are old enough that a proper remake or remaster would be a big undertaking.
Still, both franchises are now in the hands of a publisher that’s actively making games. Maybe we can see a familiar title on our list of the best horror games on PC – hope for an Alone in the Dark revival, at least, is stronger than it’s been in years.