Vigil Games
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Joe Madureira, David Adams, Marvin Donald, Ryan Stefanelli |
| Fate | Closed following THQ bankruptcy; assets sold |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Joe Madureira (Founder), David Adams (Founder) |
| Products | Darksiders series, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online (in development) |
| Owner | THQ (2006–bankruptcy) |
Vigil Games was a United States-based video game developer, owned by THQ, and established in 2005 by comic book artist Joe Madureira alongside game designer David Adams.
History
Founded in 2005 by Joe Madureira, David Adams, Marvin Donald, and Ryan Stefanelli, Vigil Games became part of THQ's portfolio in 2006. The studio operated out of Four Points Centre in Austin, Texas, occupying a leased space of 33,000 square feet provided by THQ.
When THQ entered bankruptcy proceedings, Vigil Games did not attract any purchase offers during the asset auction. THQ’s CEO Brian Farrell announced that Vigil would remain under Chapter 11 protection while the company sought buyers for remaining assets, although immediate staff reductions took place in impacted divisions.
At the time of bankruptcy, Vigil was working on Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online. Producer Atsushi Inaba from PlatinumGames showed interest in acquiring the Darksiders series; however, the rights were ultimately acquired by Nordic Games, which also secured the Red Faction and MX vs. ATV franchises.
Crytek evaluated bidding for Vigil due to their previous collaborations but owner Cevat Yerli decided against it, citing strategic differences. Following this decision, Crytek established Crytek USA, appointing David Adams as head and employing many former Vigil staff members.
Several former Vigil employees transitioned to companies such as Retro Studios, BattleCry Studios, and Certain Affinity. Additionally, many contributed to new enterprises: David Adams launched Gunfire Games in 2014, while co-founder Joe Madureira founded Airship Syndicate in 2015.
Games developed
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS3 | Wii U | Win | X360 | OnLive | ||
| 2010 | Darksiders | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2012 | Darksiders II | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |