I really hoped this day would never come. The financial gurus and forecasters sang death knells long before today, but I refused to lose hope. And now, it's come to pass; THQ has been dissolved and will be no more in the next few weeks. It's hard to see one of my favorite publishers be pieced apart at auction, but I'm optimistically hopeful for the future of THQ's IPs that were sold off.

Now that THQ is gone, what will the future hold for the proud new owners of THQ's amazing properties?

Of the five main sales that headline THQ's auction, the most surprising (and potentially beneficial) was that of Koch Media's acquisition of Volition and Metro. Volition, one of the most talented studios in the industry, will be a boon to a company with quirky, creative studios like Deep Silver. Volition almost seems like a perfect fit, considering the pool of potential buyers. Koch also gained a potential FPS mega-hit in Metro, a personal favorite of mine. While Deep Silver has landed in some hot water recently for the racy Dead Island: Riptide Zombie Bait Edition, I'm confident Kock will learn from its mistake and properly handle the marketing and release of Metro: Last Light.

SEGA also made a powerplay with the purchase of Relic. SEGA already owned Creative Assembly, well renowned for its Total War franchise. Acquiring Relic will cement SEGA as the leading publisher of AAA real-time strategy titles. By and large, SEGA has done well with Creative Assembly's releases. If they leave Relic to its own devices and properly market the studio's impressive offerings, there's little doubt SEGA will have a bright future ahead.

Ubisoft may have made off like a bandit with its purchase of THQ Montreal and South Park: Stick of Destiny. The Canada-based Montreal studio numbered nearly 500 employees and was said to have been THQ's largest studio. Ubisoft will now have access to a massive pool of talent, should they choose to keep the studio intact. I do wonder how they'll deal with the South Park RPG. While I'm sure they can properly promote the game, I'm curious to know if they'll devote the required assets. Ubisoft's purchases could make them huge net gains in the long run. They just have to manage their new assets correctly.

Crytek's acquisition of Homefront was little surprise, considering they're developing Homefront 2. Until I see the new title in action, I can't speak to this franchise's future. The original Homefront was deeply flawed and forced the shutdown of developer Kaos Studio. Crytek has a lot to prove with the upcoming sequel. As for Take 2? Well, who knows! Take 2's purchase of Evolve might be a fantastic sign, given its unparalleled pedigree with Rockstar.

While it's disappointing that THQ is no more, I'm confident the studios under its former direction will blossom with their new owners. I can only hope that studios like Vigil can find a new home before its too late. THQ brought in unbelievable talent and it would be a shame to see it all wasted.