THQ unloads wireless business

As part of its holiday quarter earnings report last week, THQ said that it had begun to find serious success with digital platforms and as a result would be increasing its emphasis in this area. Platforms set to benefit from this focus ranged from Facebook, to casual and core massively multiplayer online games, to Apple's iPhone and iPad. However, THQ will be deemphasizing at least one sector of the digital segment.

THQ will still be bringing its games to the iPhone.

Today, Swedish mobile company 24MAS announced that it had acquired THQ Wireless for an undisclosed sum. As part of the deal, 24MAS will continue to work with THQ on distributing the company's mobile wares on traditional mobile platforms, while the publisher itself shifts its focus to games for Apple's iOS and other smartphone devices.

"This agreement and our ongoing relationship with 24MAS will enable us to continue focusing on cutting edge games for Apple and emerging smartphone platforms, while enjoying the distribution services of 24MAS on wireless carrier platforms," THQ executive vice president Ian Curran said of the deal. "The combination of advertising and paid content solutions also enables us to maximize THQ's intellectual property in emerging markets."

24MAS is headquartered in Stockholm, and its reach extends to more than 80 countries. The company counts itself as "one of the world's largest carrier distribution networks for wireless applications and services." 24MAS provides mobile advertising, content distribution, cloud services, and application hosting for a number of third parties, and it plans to fold THQ Wireless' expertise in these areas into its own offerings.