METAL BLADE has issued the following:

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. – November 16th, 2011 – THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI – News) and Volition, Inc.® announced that Saints Row®: The Third™, the biggest, most over-the-top guilty pleasure in gaming, is available now on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The official launch trailer has been posted to the official youtube channel for the game HERE.

Saints Row®: The Third™ gives you control of the Saints at the height of their power, and you live the life to show for it. Now Steelport is ripe for the taking, and it’s up to you to make the city your own. Mold the skyline based on your choices, outfit your crew in classy gangster gear or furry costumes, and make life-or-death decisions that will change Steelport, and the Saints, forever. This is now your city. These are now your rules. Strap it on.

“There’s no way to describe Saints Row: The Third other than pure, over-the-top fun,” said Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President, Core Games, THQ. “In a sea of games that are doing the same thing over again, it’s incredibly refreshing to take Saints Row in a completely new direction, and incredibly satisfying to see the reaction from fans so far. Today, we all embrace the crazy.”

Not only is the game over-the-top, but the soundtrack is as well. The game boasts seven in game radio stations to enjoy while flying and driving through Steelport. Metal Blade Records boasts a huge presence on The Blood, the in-game station featuring an assortment of metal tracks. The complete track listing for the station is below and includes the Metal Blade artists Amon Amarth, Between the Buried and Me, The Black Dahlia Murder, Goatwhore, Job for a Cowboy and Shai Hulud.

The Blood:
After the Burial “Berzerker”
Amon Amarth “Runes To My Memory”
Between the Buried and Me “Obfuscation”
The Black Dahlia Murder “Necropolis”
Black Veil Brides “Perfect Weapon”
Chemlab “Suicide Jag”
The Dillinger Escape Plan “Farewell, Mona Lisa”
Drowning Pool “Feel Like I Do”
Goatwhore “Apocalyptic Havoc”
Job for a Cowboy “Regurgitated Disinformation”
KMFDM “WW III”
Marylin Manson “arma goddamn mother****in geddon”
Mastodon “Divinations”
Miss May I “Apologies Are For The Weak”
Opeth “The Lotus Eater”
Otep “Rise, Rebel, Resist”
Shai Hulud “Misanthropy Pure”
Strapping Young Lad “Love?”
Tugboat “Slow Revolution”
You Love Her Coz She’s Dead “Engine Wrecker”

The full listings for all seven channels can be seen now over on analoghype.com.

Media outlets too have embraced the crazy, as Saints Row: The Third releases to incredible critical acclaim, high review scores, and a number of editors’ choice awards.

“One of the finest sandbox games ever made – 10” – GamesRadar
“9.5” – Official Xbox Magazine
“9.0” – Game Informer
“The craziest game you’ll ever play.” – IGN
“Wonderful, ridiculous insanity.” – New York Post
“Pulls no punches and makes no apologies.” – Complex
“Out GTA’s GTA.” – Hyper Magazine

Today also marks the first day players will be able to import their created characters from the Saints Row Initiation Station into Saints Row: The Third and wreak havoc in Steelport as their favorite, crazed creations. Since November 1, the Saints Row community has created more than 1.5 million characters using the Initiation Station. Today, they are turned loose.

Saints Row: The Third is available today on Xbox 360 (SRP US$59.99), PlayStation 3 (SRP US$59.99) and PC (SRP US$49.99), and is rated M for Mature.

About Saints Row: The Third
Years after taking Stilwater for their own, the Third Street Saints have evolved from street gang to household brand name, with Saints sneakers, Saints energy drinks and Johnny Gat bobble head dolls all available at a store near you. The Saints are kings of Stilwater, but their celebrity status has not gone unnoticed. The Syndicate, a legendary criminal fraternity with pawns in play all over the globe, has turned its eye on the Saints and demands tribute. Refusing to kneel to the Syndicate, you take the fight to a new city, playing out the most outlandish gameplay scenarios ever seen. Strap it on.

About THQ
THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI – News) is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the internet. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. More information about THQ and its products may be found at http://www.thq.com. THQ, Saints Row, Saints Row: The Third, Volition, Inc. and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts may be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the business of THQ Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as “THQ”), including, but not limited to, expectations and projections related to the release of the Saints: Row: The Third video game and are based upon management’s current beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, business, competitive, economic, legal, political and technological factors affecting our industry,  operations, markets, products or pricing. Readers should carefully review the risk factors and the information that could materially affect THQ’s financial results, described in other documents that THQ files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal period ended March 31, 2011, and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and particularly the discussion of trends and risk factors set forth therein. Unless otherwise required by law, THQ disclaims any obligation to update its view on any such risks or uncertainties or to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.