The guys at Volition have released a lengthy new trailer for what is expected to be the most ridiculous game of the year. As expected, it looks like great fun and it could be another hit for the former THQ studio that proved to the world that open-world games don’t have to be serious affairs:

Saints Row IV will get a month head start on Grand Theft Auto V, but comparisons will still inevitably me made. Regardless, it’s safe to assume that gamers will have enough goodwill and cash to reward both titles with plenty of love.

Saints Row IV will be out on August 20 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Today it has been revealed that what’s left of THQ has sold off a few more of its IPs that didn’t sell in the initial feeding frenzy that took place in January.

The largest sale this week went to Nordic Games, which purchased Darksiders, Red Faction, MX vs ATV, Destroy All Humans!, Summoner, and other IPs for $4.9 million.

“First and foremost we are very happy about this deal which also turns over a new leaf for the entire Nordic Games Group,” said Lars Wingefors, CEO of Nordic Games Group. “In the long term, we either want to cooperate with the original creators or best possible developers in order to work on sequels or additional content for these titles. A very important point for us is not to dash into several self-financed multi-million dollar projects right away, but rather to continue our in-depth analysis of all titles and carefully selecting different financing models for developing new instalments of acquired IPs.”

505 Games has also purchased the Drawn to Life games from THQ for $300,000. It was also revealed that Gearbox’s purchase of the Homeworld series set the developer back $1.35 million.

The first two ranger survival episodes covered the human factions and the monsters that thrive in the metro and the surface. Now you’ll learn how to put them down with the weaponry available to players. It also delves into one of the most interesting portions of Metro’s universe – the bullet-driven economy.

Metro: Last Light will launch across the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on May 14.

The first trailer under the game’s new publisher was released today, and it shows more of the world players will be exposed to in Last Light. In short, it looks like more of the drab, depressing environments of the first game, but that’s only a good thing. Metro 2033 excelled in selling its atmosphere and Last Light looks to continue in its footsteps.

Metro Last Light will be launching on May 14 across the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Deep Silver and Volition announced today that Saints Row IV will be heading to current-gen consoles and PC on August 20. The game, originally envisioned as an expansion for Saints Row: The Third, has now been expanded into a full fledged game where players take on the role of the U.S. president who happens to have super powers.

In the next open-world installment of Saints Row, Deep Silver Volition continues the story of the Third Street Saints by elevating their status to the highest level – the leaders of the free world. In Saints Row IV, the head honcho of the Saints has been elected to the Presidency of the United States. But the Saints are just getting started. Now the larger-than-life insanity of the Saints series gets a new twist with a catastrophic alien invasion, and the aliens have transported the Saints to a bizarro-Steelport simulation. Wield gargantuan superpowers and fight to free humanity from alien granddaddy Zinyak’s mental grasp. Escape the simulation that’s trapped the Saints crew, or die trying.

Saints Row IV lets players delve into an arsenal of alien weaponry and technology that will turn each Saint into an ultimate entity of destruction. Utilize out-of-this-world superpowers to fight all the way to the top. With intensified action and enhanced customization, players can use their newfound superpowers and leap over buildings, outrun the fastest sports cars, or send enemies flying with telekinesis in the greatest, most insane installment of Saints Row yet.

Save the world, Saints Style.

Oh, and the publisher released a teaser trailer for the title. It looks like more Saints Row, and that’s always a good thing:

The letter is fairly sad, and the latter half is highly personal and flattering toward the people who worked at THQ. The main point of the memo, however, is to inform THQ employees of whether or not they still have a job. Overall, the outcome of the bidding could have been worse, though some beloved game franchises have ended up in odd places.

Fans of the Company of Heroes series can breathe a sigh of relief, as Relic Entertainment appears to be going to Sega. With Company of Heroes 2 so far along in its development, it’s almost certain that Sega will be able to get the strategy game into shape for a release sometime this year.

Fans of the Darksiders series have not been as lucky. Vigil Games, the developer of Darksiders and Darksiders II has not been sold, and remains a part of the THQ bankruptcy case. This could very well mean that the studio will be closing.

Developer Crytek has agreed to purchase the Homefront series, something that should excite shooter fans, and Take 2 is looking to buy Evolve, a game about which nothing is known.

One of the more odd sales is of the studio Volition and the Metro series to Koch Media. Volition is the developer of perhaps the hottest property THQ had to sell, the Saints Row series. Though Koch’s subsidiary Deep Silver is a relatively small niche publisher, it has recently been trying to break out with the Dead Island games.

Ubisoft was also a part of the bidding, and has nabbed THQ’s Montreal studio and the upcoming South Park: The Stick of Truth RPG. This is pretty great news for those employees and South Park fans alike. The Montreal employees will likely be folded into Ubisoft’s Montreal studio in some way, and the publisher is unlikely to let a hyped game like The Stick of Truth fall through the cracks.

Unfortunately, the employees of THQ properties that were not part of the sale are being laid off. From the memo:

If you are an employee of an entity that is not included in the sale, we regret that your position will end. A small number of our headquarters staff will continue to be employed by THQ beyond January 25 to assist with the transition. THQ has sufficient resources to pay these employees for work going forward, and we will be contacting these employees immediately to ensure their continued employment during this transition period. We are requesting the ability to offer certain severance pay to minimize disruption for employees of non-included entities as they determine the next steps in their careers.

A sad day for the gaming industry, which has seen so many sad days of layoffs in the past year. Though the THQ logo has now been relegated to nostalgia status, a few of the publisher’s coveted titles, at least, seem to have found a decent home.

Atari’s U.S. branch announced today that it has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. The move is being used to detach itself from its France-based parent company, Atari S.A. The company says it has been a growth driver for the parent company since rebranding itself as a social game developer in 2011, but the break off from its parent company is being used to “preserve [its] inherent value and and unlock revenue potential unrealized while under control of Atari S.A.”

As part of the bankruptcy process, Atari U.S. plans to sell off all of its assets, including its branding. Some of the properties available for sale include Pong, Asteroids, Centipede, Tempest, Test Drive, Backyard Sports, and more.

Atari says that its business will continue as normal over the next few months. In fact, the company has a few new games in the pipeline that will be launching on mobile devices, including a new entry in the Rollercoaster Tycoon series and Atari Casino.

Atari is just starting the bankruptcy process, but troubled publisher THQ has been there for a while. The company announced its plans to sell off the company to a private investor in late December, but the company’s investors, with the help of the court, stopped the sale in favor of an auction where each property may be sold off piece by piece. We’ll know later this week if THQ will end up as a whole in the hands of its initial investor or if the company will be split up among the wolves hoping to obtain the lucrative Saints Row franchise.

All that being said, Atari probably doesn’t have anything to worry about. Mobile gamers who grew up with an Atari 2600 will be able to enjoy touch-enabled versions of their favorite retro games for years to come.

THQ announced today that it has secured an asset purchase agreement with the Clearlake Capital Group as part of its bankruptcy proceedings. The asset sale, which includes the publisher’s owned studios and current games, will allow the publisher to “shed certain legacy obligations and emerge with stronger financial backing of a new owner with substantial experience in software and technology.”

“The sale and filing are necessary next steps to complete THQ’s transformation and position the company for the future, as we remain confident in our existing pipeline of games, the strength of our studios and THQ’s deep bench of talent,” said Brian Farrell, Chairman and CEO of THQ. “We are grateful to our outstanding team of employees, partners and suppliers who have worked with us through this transition. We are pleased to have attracted a strong financial partner for our business, and we hope to complete the sale swiftly to make the process as seamless as possible.”

So, what does this mean for the games that THQ is currently working on like Metro: Last Light and South Park: The Stick of Truth? All games and studios are going to remain as is while THQ transfers ownership to whoever this new mystery investor is. Unless the courts do something out of the ordinary, THQ won’t have to lay off any employees and all games will continue in development as planned.

THQ’s president, Jason Rubin, reiterates that there’s nothing to worry about and that filing bankruptcy won’t impact day to day operations:

“We have incredible, creative talent here at THQ. We look forward to partnering with experienced investors for a new start as we will continue to use our intellectual property assets to develop high-quality core games, create new franchise titles, and drive demand through both traditional and digital channels.”

In short, THQ fans have nothing to worry about at this juncture. The publisher will keep making games, and highly anticipated titles like Metro: Last Light are still on schedule. The only real difference is that we no longer have to see reports every week of how little THQ’s stock is worth.

Today, THQ confirmed that Last Light, like every other title these days, will be getting pre-order bonuses. Gamers who pre-order the game will automatically getting the Limited Edition version of the game for the same $60 price. Limited Edition is the version of Last Light that will be sold initially, so a pre-order isn’t necessary, but is sufficient, to get the extra content.

The Limited Edition will include “Ranger Mode” difficulty – an harder mode where players are more easily killed but do extra (realistic) damage with their weapons. Also, players will get access to the modified AKS-74U assault rifle and extra “military-grade” bullets that do more damage, but also serve as the game’s currency.

Over on the PlayStation Blog, THQ also announced that PlayStation 3 owners will get their own, exclusive pre-order bonuses. Gamers who purchase the digital edition of Metro: Last Light through the PlayStation network will get a PlayStation 3 theme and a free copy of THQ’s Homefront.

Also, anyone can still grab a free copy of the PC version of the original Metro 2033 by “Liking” the Metro Facebook page.

THQ and 4A Games today released a trailer for Last Light that’s heavy on flashlights, monsters, and religious symbolism. The trailer is narrated by a voice that reads a pretty faithful version of the opening passages of the Christian Bible. As the narrator describes God creating the Earth and giving dominion over it to man, contrasting images of a broken humanity are shown. The interpretation of the seventh day is a bit off though. Instead of resting, God is said to have abandoned mankind to its fate. It’s a bleak look at what is sure to be an intense title.

To lighten the mood a bit, THQ is offering gamers a free copy of the original Metro 2033 for liking the Metro Facebook page. It’s a blatant ploy to get the new trailer all over Facebook, but hey – it’s also a free copy of a decent shooter.

The release of Last Light was recently delayed to March, along with THQ’s South Park: The Stick of Truth.