Saints Row 4 News: Six Investors Coveted THQ's Valuable 'Volition' Studio Prior to Koch Media Purchase

With their company in the gutter, THQ milked whatever they could from their assets. That's why it came as no surprise when THQ's "Saints Row" developer, Volition Inc., was sold to Koch Media for  $22.3 million. Yet, Koch Media was not the only interested buyer. In fact, six different companies saw Volition's value and expressed interested in absorbing the studio.

In addition to Koch Media, Warner Bros., Electronic Arts, Take-Two, Ubisoft, and a ghost group from Chicago all visited the Volition studio in the weeks prior to the sale. Koch Media and Ubisoft were the only two to eventually submit bids, however Koch Media's bid was roughly four times that of Ubisoft's, according to Gamespot.

It seemed odd that a low level of interest was expressed in the Volition Inc. with the 2013 release date of "Saints Row 4" approaching. According to IGN, THQ reported in November that 5 million copies of "Saints Row: The Third" had been shipped and noted that the game has continued to sell well since its 2011 release, showing promise for its fourth installment, indicating that Koch Media made a smart acquisition.

Koch Media will absorb all of Volition's 185 person staff and has toyed with the idea of changing the name to "Deep Silver Volition," said Volition's general manager Dan Cermak. Cermak is pleased with the company's situation, as Koch Media is private company, and unlike with THQ, Volition will no longer be required to meet quarterly financial goals.

Throughout the THQ bidding wars, Koch Media made their interest in Volition Inc. apparent. "They love 'Saints Row' and the idea behind it," Cermak told The News Gazette. Koch Media did not acquire Volition's "Red Faction" franchise, however did choose to take on "Metro." Plans for the two newly owned franchises will become apparent in the following months, as well as the release date for the highly anticipated "Saints Row 4."