Nordic Games picked up most of the IPs in THQ's back catalog auction, dishing out $4.9 million for Darksiders, Red Faction, MX vs ATV, Titan Quest and a slew of unannounced games from THQ's long list of for-sale properties. Nordic was a surprise to some, especially next to Gearbox, which picked up the Homeworld franchise, and 505 Games, which snagged Drawn to Life and its sequel. But Nordic isn't new.

"We've been in conversation with THQ since January," Nordic CEO Lars Wingefors told Game Informer. "We signed all the NDAs in January."

Wingefors has been in the gaming industry for 20 years, he said, and has handled "a lot" of THQ products during that time. In November 2011, Nordic acquired publisher JoWood, in charge of Painkiller and Torchlight, and also ended up with Canadian publisher Dreamcatcher, spawning Nordic's publishing focus.

Nordic took part in the first THQ auction as well, which sold off properties such as Saints Row and some development studios for upwards of $20 million. That sale was too rich for Wingefors: "Saints Row went for $22 million and Koch bought that development studio with that burn rate on a daily basis. Even though I do have financial resources, I don't have those kind of resources."

Wingefors didn't want a studio. Nordic is a "middle man" looking for the right team to make some new sequels; there's already been plenty of interest in Darksiders, he said.

"We have to be very honest," Wingefors said. "I am a business man within the games industry. We are not the creative, talented developer that brings out new versions in house. I understand the potential of the IPs. I respect the original creators and the creative people who are able to create sequels. In the past 24 hours, we have been contacted and there have been a few discussions (but I can't confirm names)."

Nordic took home more than 50 former THQ games, but has yet to release the full list.

"As we still have some open points with regards to a couple of titles we will not publish a comprehensive list at this stage," a Nordic Games representative told Joystiq yesterday. "However, once everything is fixed and the ink is dry – around mid-May – we will go out with a comprehensive list of titles which we have acquired in the process."

Nordic will hold talks this summer with different developers, during E3 especially. Don't expect any sequels too soon, though.

"You won't see a new Darksiders this year," Wingefors said. "I don't believe in bringing out a shitty sequel."

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Nintendo is performing online maintenance for all its systems today as it prepares the Wii U's spring system update. The update, which will introduce the Virtual Console proper (among other things), may be fully launched by tomorrow according to a Facebook tease by Nintendo of America.

The extended maintenance is scheduled between 1PM PT today (4PM ET, 9PM UK) and 7PM PT (10PM ET, 3AM UK). The eShop and shopping channels for the Wii U, 3DS, Wii, and DS will be affected, so expect them to go down during those hours.

From now through June 30, if you buy three 3DS games from a list of eight in Europe, you'll get a download code for a fourth for free. And that's after the free game you might have already gotten with your 3DS XL!

The Nintendo of Europe "So Many Games!" Promotion applies to Castlevania: Lords of etc., Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Luigi's Mansion 2, Fire Emblem Awakening, Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf. So many games!

This promotion is not active in North America; however, you still have time to get a free game with purchase of a 3DS XL and either Luigi's Mansion 2 or Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.

A new, pink 3DS XL glams up the UK on May 31. As Official Nintendo Magazine reveals, it isn't the same as the pink-and-white number which recently re-toured North America.

There's no word yet on other regions. While Nintendo recently announced the Animal Crossing and Pikachu 3DS XLs for the west, for now, much like one of the Queen's hats, this particular portable is big, pink, and only in the UK.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's this week's UK charts! Oh.

But no, it is exciting, because BioShock Infinite's three week reign of terror is finally over, all thanks to the brave efforts of Injustice: Gods Among Us. NetherRealm's superhero brawler becomes the ninth new game to take the UK top spot this year, and ousts Infinite into the runner-up position for the first time.

That means another run comes to an end; Tomb Raider's six week run in the top two is done, although it's still going strong in fourth. Beating it to an impressive third is new release Fire Emblem: Awakening, the 3DS RPG looking to continue the series-best sales it posted in North America. One thing Europe got that North America didn't was the game's snazzy blue 3DS XL, and that seems to be a hit in the UK; 31 percent of the XL's sales this week came from the bundle, boosting the XL's sales by nearly half over the previous week.

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Nintendo has released a web tool for use in the 3DS' internet browser, which allows the user to share screenshots from compatible games on Twitter and Tumblr. So far, only Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Tomodachi Collection: New Life work with the service – our friends at Engadget attempted to upload a picture taken with the 3DS' camera and were given an error about "incompatible software."

No indication from Nintendo that a westernized version of the utility is in the works, but the Japanese tool still works on this side of the globe, provided you can either read Japanese, or have a lot patience and spare time. Folks interested in investigating should point their 3DS browsers to i.nintendo.net.

Starting today, Nintendo is offering the 3DS XL Circle Pad Pro through its online store. The listing suddenly appeared two days ago, so we asked Nintendo if this was a mistake. A company representative confirmed with Joystiq today that, "yes, the posting is accurate and the accessory will begin shipping from our online store today."

We also inquired about availability at retailers; the previous iteration, the Circle Pad Pro for the original 3DS, was a GameStop exclusive. "There are no plans to sell this accessory at other retail locations at this time," the Nintendo representative confirmed with Joystiq. Online is the only way to get it – for now, anyway.

The 3DS XL Circle Pad Pro add-on is priced at $20, a peripheral that adds an additional analog stick compatible with games like Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Resident Evil: Revelations, Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater, Kid Icarus: Uprising and more.

Ace Attorney 5 will be released July 25 in Japan, with a special edition containing a Phoenix Wright figurine (to scale with the Edgeworth figurine released alongside the sorely missed Ace Attorney Investigations 2), a 3DS case patterned after the colors of Phoenix's suit, and as yet unrevealed decorative stickers with chibi characters on them.

Various permutations of the special bundle omit the figure and/or case; it's almost certain that none of these bundles will ever make it out of Japan. However, we were able to import this new trailer just fine!

We'll note that, in an unfortunate coincidence, the trailer begins with an animated sequence depicting a bomb going off.

UK high street retailer GAME is selling eShop codes as of today, both in physical stores and through its site. The 3DS and Wii U codes can be bought across Europe outside of Nintendo's eShop, and GAME is pricing them cheaper than the eShop does, at least online.

GAME's website lists six Wii U games priced at £41.99 (except for Sing Party at £32.99). Those include Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, New Super Mario Bros. U, and Lego City Undercover, which are all priced £49.99 on the eShop proper. There are also similar reductions for the 21 3DS eShop games listed.

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Link has the ability to flatten himself and slide along walls in the upcoming 3DS sequel to the cherished SNES adventure, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Think of it as wallpaper in honor of the protagonist, or as living graffiti defacing the dungeon's interior.

It's a new mechanic (likely one of several) that never felt forced in my ascent up a seven-story tower, and pushed me to think differently about the rigid environment.

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The sales-tracking data hounds at NPD have released their figures for March 2013, which collectively place hardware sales down, physical software sales slightly up, and BioShock Infinite at the top of the best-selling pile.

The physical retail sales sector of the U.S. video game industry pulled in 10 percent less coin than it did during the same five-week period in 2012, amassing a total of $992.5 million between March 3 and April 6, 2013. Hardware sales took the biggest hit out of the three monitored retail sub-categories, bringing in a total of $221.6 million, a 32 percent year-over-year decrease. Microsoft's Xbox 360 claimed its 27th month as the best-selling console in America, selling 261,000 units, down 13.5 percent from last month.

Meanwhile, overall physical software sales (console, portable and PC games) outperformed March 2012 by two percent: $602.4 million in 2013, as compared with last a total of $592.2 million in sales last March.

BioShock Infinite took an immediate victory over the rest of the period's release calendar, with Tomb Raider and Gears of War: Judgment rounding out the podium lineup. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon placed sixth overall; we learned yesterday it has sold 415,000 units. Though that figure's retail-to-digital ratio remains undefined, the "vast majority" of sales took place at retail, according to Nintendo's Scott Moffit.

As always, jump on through for the top 10 best-selling games of March, 2013.

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As I stepped off the train to embark on my new life in my new Animal Crossing: New Leaf town, I was greeted by a party of citizens who immediately proclaimed me the mayor.

Did I kill the old mayor on the train before arriving and assume their identity? How was I elected mayor when I'm not even a registered resident of this town, a point that isn't even brought up during my registration process? Clearly I had been elected to public office, unprepared and unqualified for the job.

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Japan is getting a 3DS XL we aren't (yet): a 3DS XL covered in other-Mario-brother. The Luigi-themed portable, revealed during yesterday's Nintendo Direct, comes with a 4GB SD card and a pre-installed copy of Mario and Luigi: Dream Team. It leaps onto Japan's retail shelves (the highest ones, since it's Luigi) on the game's release date of July 18.

We may not have a portable in 50 Shades of Green, but we can at least look forward to the RPG reaching our shores on August 11 for North America and July 12 for Europe.

There's a ton on the 3DS eShop this week, between retail re-releases (Tetris Axis, Harvest Moon: A Tale of Two Towns) and new original games. On top of that, Level-5's Guild series sale begins today, with all three of its eShop games to date discounted. It's a good chance to check out that bizarre collection before it doubles in size. Oh ... and Dress to Play: Cute Witches! is on sale, in an unrelated offer.

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Nintendo's North American online store is now selling the 3DS XL Circle Pad Pro peripheral, which has been exclusive to Japan since late last year. Nintendo will start shipping the $20 add-on April 19.

We've contacted Nintendo to find out if this is exclusive to their online store or indicative of a full-on US retail launch. The 3DS XL Circle Pad Pro is the second iteration of Nintendo's supplemental analog stick, following the original GameStop-exclusive Circle Pad Pro made available alongside Resident Evil: Revelations.

Nintendo is still mulling over an official North American title for this holiday's new Legend of Zelda game, announced for the 3DS this morning. It shares a world and narrative continuity with A Link to the Past, the SNES adventure that has steeped in adoration since the early '90s. To simply call it "A Link to the Past 2" might invoke extraordinary scrutiny, just as it might trigger appropriate nostalgia.

"There is a '2' in the Japanese title," said Bill Trinen, Director of Product Marketing at Nintendo of America, in an interview with Joystiq. "So, yeah, I think as I described today, it's an all-new game, it is an all-new story." In his new outing, Link has the ability to flatten himself and slide across dungeon walls like a piece of living graffiti.

"From a story perspective there are connections," Trinen said, "so it does fall after A Link to the Past. And it's set in the same world, but introduces that new gameplay mechanic. So, yeah, I guess by that definition ..."

Yup, let's go with sequel. Quick, to the timeline!

Nintendo's executive vice president of sales and marketing, Scott Moffit, revealed during a Nintendo event in San Francisco that Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon has sold 415,000 copies in the US, while 3DS RPG Fire Emblem: Awakening has sold 240,000. This data will be reflected in tomorrow's NPD report.

According to Moffit, "the vast majority" of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon sales have come through retail. More than a third of Fire Emblem's sales (80,000) have been through the eShop, with over half of those individuals coming back to purchase a map pack. Moffitt says nine more map packs are planned for Fire Emblem: Awakening, with three of those nine due later this month.