SEGA Corporation (Headquarters: Tokyo, President, Representative Director, and Chief Operating Officer: Naoya Tsurumi, “SEGA”) acquired all of shares of THQ Canada Inc. (Headquarters: Vancouver, Canada, “THQ Canada”) and some IPs owned by THQ Inc., a parent company of THQ Canada on January 24, 2013 in order to further reinforce PC game development capabilities in the U.S. and European regions. THQ Canada has developed million-seller franchise titles such as “Warhammer 40k Dawn of War” and “Company of Heroes” under the brand of Relic Entertainment Studio.

Relic Entertainment was established in 1997 and acquired by THQ Canada in 2004. THQ Canada have been known familiarly as Relic Entertainment since the acquisition and provided a number of high quality games equipped with graphics equal in quality to movies and rich strategic game features mainly for the PC market in the U.S. and European regions. THQ Canada provides several million seller franchise titles, and its representative products include the “Warhammer 40k Dawn of War” series,.  As a series Warhammer 40k Dawn of War has sold more than 7 million copies worldwide, whilst the “Company of Heroes” series, a real time strategy game based on the modern history of warfare from World War II and after,  has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide.

“We are thrilled to have Relic Entertainment join the SEGA family. The acquisition is a strategic fit and a critical step in growing our business,” John Cheng, President and CFO, SEGA of America said. “They are a well-respected studio with a pedigree for making creative and innovative games and we look forward to seeing what great things we can create together over the coming years.”

SEGA already owns three development companies in the U.S. and Europe, and is progressing to support compatibility with the rapidly expanding online games field, such as PC online games, smartphone games and social games. As a result of the THQ Canada acquisition, SEGA will further advance the provision of various appealing entertainment contents by utilizing THQ Canada’s high-end content development capabilities and accumulated development know-how, and increase SEGA’s presence in the PC online game market.

Company names and product names mentioned above are registered trademarks or trademarks of the respective companies.

As part of PlayStation Network’s Thirteen for Thirteen sale, we have three SEGA games discounted for you, with special deals for PlayStation Plus members. Please keep in mind these sales are for North America only!

Here’s what’s up:

NiGHTS Into Dreams…  
Regular Price: $9.99
Sale Price: $4.99
PSN Plus Price: $2.50

Jet Set Radio
Regular Price: $9.99
Sale Price: $4.99
PSN Plus Price: $2.50

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL Extended Cut
Regular Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $9.99
PSN Plus Price: $5.00

The SEGA Cup is coming this April, offering Virtua Fighter fans from around the world a chance to complete for top honors in a SEGA-sponsored tournament. Along the way, we’re doing something fun – we’re taking an established 2D fighting champion and challenging him to compete in Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown.

The Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Challenge

Meet Justin Wong. Active in the fighting game community for over 10 years, Justin is an absolute Pro fighting game player. His tournament background will tell you he excels at 2D fighters, bringing in top honors at a variety of major tournaments, such as EVO, for games like Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Marvel vs Capcom 3, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Street Fighter IV, and more. Justin is a fighter through and through, and like any strong competitive player, he likes to challenge himself to be the very best.

“I look forward to playing Virtual Fighter 5 Final Showdown. I have played just about every fighting game that’s out besides it. It’s definitely a hard game that takes a lot of dedication and I would love to see if I can learn the game and play with the players that have enjoyed it for so long.”

The Road to SEGA Cup 2013

While Justin is great at 2D games and occasionally 3D fighting games, he’s not played Virtua Fighter 5 in a competitive format. Ever. We’re giving Justin the keys, letting him set his training regimen and we’re inviting everyone along for the ride.

Want to see what character he picks? Follow his twitter at @JWonggg for all the up-to-the-minute details. Want to see him spar online against other players in matches? Catch the streams and see how he’s progressing. Want more details on the training and playing? Read the SEGA blog regularly to grab an in-depth look at key areas of the game.

Look for more info on The Virtua Fighter Challenge right here on the blog, we’ll have more info as we get closer to the tournament.

We’re excited that the critically acclaimed BAYONETTA will soon be available for download on the PlayStation Network! Experience the free flowing over-the-top action of BAYONETTA from the creators of Devil May Cry and Resident Evil. Play as a witch with powers beyond the comprehension of mere mortals, and face-off against countless enemies, evil forces and giant sized bosses in a game of 100% pure unadulterated all-out action.

Directed by Hideki Kamiya, this stylish and cinematic action game is known for outlandish finishing moves that are performed with balletic grace as Bayonetta flows fluidly from one fight to another. With magnificent over-the-top action taking place in stages that are a veritable theme park of exciting attractions, Bayonetta pushes the limits of the action genre, bringing to life its fast-paced, dynamic climax combat.

BAYONETTA™ is available for download in the U.S. on January 29^th for $19.99 and in Europe on January 30^th for £11.99 on PSN and is already available on Xbox LIVE Arcade for the Xbox 360.

Including the award-winning SHOGUN 2 (2011), plus its thrilling expansions Rise of The Samurai (2011) and Fall of The Samurai (2012), Total War SHOGUN 2 GOLD Edition is a stunning collection that contains the entire saga from start to finish, and features hundreds of hours of award-winning strategy gaming.

North American Gold Edition

Total War: SHOGUN 2
MASTER THE ART OF WAR in the darkest age of Japan, endless war leaves a country divided. It is the middle of the 16th Century in Feudal Japan. The country, once ruled by a unified government, is now split into many warring clans. Ten legendary warlords strive for supremacy as conspiracies and conflicts wither the empire.

Total War: SHOGUN 2 – Rise of the Samurai
Set 400 years before the dramatic civil war depicted in SHOGUN 2, the “Rise of The Samurai” campaign is based on the Gempei War, a conflict between six legendary clans of the Taira, Minamoto and Fujiwara families. It culminated in the first Shogunate, and the rise of the Samurai as the ruling class.

Total War: SHOGUN 2 – Fall of the Samurai
The standalone expansion to the award-winning Total War: SHOGUN 2 explores the conflict between the Imperial throne and the last Shogunate in 19th century Japan, 400 years after the events of the original game. A dramatic clash of traditional Samurai culture with the explosive power of modern weaponry.

The North American GOLD Edition includes all three titles, and is available at retailers from March 5th.

European & Australian Gold Edition

Including all three SHOGUN titles plus all released downloadable content (excluding the Blood Pack), in limited-production Wajima-nuri inspired packaging.

Total War: SHOGUN 2
Total War: SHOGUN 2 – Rise of the Samurai
Total War: SHOGUN 2 – Fall of the Samurai

Dragon War Battle Pack
Hattori ‘Ninja’ Clan Pack
Ikko Ikki ‘Warrior Monk’ Clan Pack
Otomo ‘Gunpowder’ Clan Pack
Saga Clan Pack
Obama Clan Pack
Tsu Clan Pack
Sendai Clan Pack
Saints & Heroes Elite Unit Pack
Sengoku Jidai Elite Unit Pack

The GOLD Edition is available from retailers in Europe and Australia from March 8th.