THQ secures BattleBots license

THQ has announced that it has reached an agreement with BattleBots Inc. to develop and publish games based on the popular Comedy Central show featuring remote-controlled robot battles. Under the agreement, THQ will release related games on all three current-generation consoles and the PC platform. Work is already under way on versions of the game for the Sony PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo GameCube at UK-based Warthog.

"BattleBots has won tremendous popularity since it first aired on Comedy Central almost two years ago,'' said Germaine Gioia, vice president of licensing at THQ. "The show's premise of robot engineering and intense arena combat lends itself perfectly to truly compelling video game content.''

The first games will be released sometime in 2002. The BattleBots series has gained a strong following worldwide. In the US alone, 3.5 million viewers watch the show each week.