SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated Was a Big Success for THQ Nordic

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated seems to have been a big success for THQ Nordic, selling more than one million copies across its various platforms. THQ Nordic CEO Klemens Kreuzer revealed that figure in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, along with his hopes that the game could double those numbers sometime in the future. It remains to be seen whether or not Rehydrated will hit that figure, but it seems that the game's success is already playing a role in THQ Nordic's plans for the future. According to Kreuzer, there's an untapped market for licensed games at the moment, most notably 3D platforming games.

"It was a fantastic success for us, with sales of more than one million units -- and I wouldn't be surprised if it reached two million one day," Kreuzer told GamesIndustry.biz. "I think there's a market for those kind of games. The community was so full of joy."

Released last year, Rehydrated is a remake of the 2003 original, offering improved visuals, and some new voicework. While Kreuzer did not announce a sequel to the game, it certainly seems possible. THQ Nordic purchased the game's developer, Purple Lamp, last November. Purple Lamp is apparently working on The Guild 3, as well as two licensed games that have not yet been announced by the publisher. It seems like a safe bet that one of those could be a follow-up SpongeBob game. Regardless, licensed games like Rehydrated seem to be a priority for the publisher, moving forward.

"I think maybe in the licence business there has been a bit too much emphasis on free-to-play and the premium model was not so popular in the last five to ten years," Kreuzer told GamesIndustry.biz. "But at THQ Nordic, we're not going for the super AAA stuff where we need millions and millions to be successful. We can do that with relatively low volumes, so that's why we think we can recreate the success we've had with SpongeBob with other licences in future. We're working on some of those right now."

The gaming industry has certainly moved in a different direction when it comes to licensed games, so it will be interesting to see whether or not THQ Nordic can find success creating licensed games like Battle for Bikini Bottom from the ground-up. The industry is in a much different place than it was when the game first released back in 2003, but clearly, there's still an interest in this type of game.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated is currently available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, and PC. A version for Android and iOS is set to release later this month.

Did you play SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated? Would you like to see a follow-up? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!