They should try to port Dawn of War 2 titles to consoles. That is just brainstorming. I think they would work, buut I am bias as I am a big 40K fan, I even play the minature game.
thq only published shadow of chernobyl. clear sky was published by deepsilver. call of pripyat by bitcomposer/vivamedia/1c. gsc will probably make new deals again when the time comes for s.t.a.l.k.e.r. 2. thq doesn't seem like a good fit for s.t.a.l.k.e.r. series anyway, as they seemed to want to direct the game a lot and make it more of what metro 2033 is, a linear/cinematic style fps. judging by call of pripyat, gsc definitely seem to want the game to go in the other direction being more open and dynamic. I guess thq should be applauded for pulling the strings together on shadow of chernobyl, as that game might not have ever come out without them hehe. but going forward gsc seem to have the management and restraint to take it wherever they want.
also publishing Metro 2033; even if you didn't like it, partnering with Eastern Euro devs for a high quality, technology pushing PC game with an unusually good console port is a really thumbs up move. and then greenlighting a sequel because the low production cost creates breathing room for success even with modest sales.
and doing the RF:G giveaways that they've done a few times, which is an awesome and very pro-gamer promotional move.
They should try to port Dawn of War 2 titles to consoles. That is just brainstorming. I think they would work, buut I am bias as I am a big 40K fan, I even play the minature game.
it only ever had a chance of selling on the wii and there's no chance of that now
it's a c-tier franchise. third party sales have went down quite a bit on wii. they're also positioning the wii version as the shit/gimped version so no-one with any sense will buy it for that platform.
I believe its literally being built for Wii and upscaled for PS360 though. The game's simple geometry and textures should make it pretty easy to do, so they shouldn't have too many budget problems.
And yes, THQ has done well over the past fiscal year. They were profitable for the three quarters preceding this -- but they were also unprofitable for the three years preceeding that. It's difficult to tell if those three quarters were an aberration in a still generally unprofitable system or if this quarter was an aberration for a company that is finally returning to profitability.
I'm not sure I'd go that far. And you may be remembering their recent history wrong.
They've lost money for the first two quarters of this fiscal year, and they lost money for the final quarter of the previous fiscal year. And they are expecting to lose money for the full fiscal year ending Mar/11.
Their big title for this fiscal year thus far was a big dud. UFC 2010 sold (shipped) roughly similar numbers to 2009, but actual sell-through was horrible, and THQ had to credit back tons of money to retail in order to cover the massive price-slashing that was necessary to move the game. UFC 2010 revenues were 40% below UFC 2009 even though shipment numbers were similar in the timeframe.
I certainly wouldn't say that they have done well recently.
My own personal analysis for those who care: we're about to enter a 2-3 year period where the major publishers, as a whole, manage to tread water. Which is an improvement over massively bleeding funds, of course. After that, it's going to depend on how the transition to next generation occurs.
Their big title for this fiscal year thus far was a big dud. UFC 2010 sold (shipped) roughly similar numbers to 2009, but actual sell-through was horrible, and THQ had to credit back tons of money to retail in order to cover the massive price-slashing that was necessary to move the game. UFC 2010 revenues were 40% below UFC 2009 even though shipment numbers were similar in the timeframe.
Once it is sold to retailers the publisher has got there money and no longer has to care. Shipped = sold. NeoGAF gospel. So it is made up, so it shall be pretended to be true.
Once it is sold to retailers the publisher has got there money and no longer has to care. Shipped = sold. NeoGAF gospel. So it is made up, so it shall be pretended to be true.
That may be true for mainstream media but the typical GAFfer is a little more discerning. Unused stock can and does count against profits when the publisher subsidizes unsold games.
That may be true for mainstream media but the typical GAFfer is a little more discerning. Unused stock can and does count against profits when the publisher subsidizes unsold games.
I don't know about that. I would say that every single thread where shipped numbers are used, someone will say something to the effect of "Its sold as far as they [publisher] are concerned".
Not really great considering when they released (practically) nothing on the 360/PS3 on this fiscal quarter.
Every game released elusively on the 360/PS3 from January all the way to mid October in 2010 from THQ:
-Darksiders - January
-World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars
- February
-Metro 2033 - March
-UFC 2010 Undisputed - May
Games released on the same period exclusively for the Nintendo DS & Wii from THQ:
-Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Back to School – Wii, Nintendo DS
-Jeopardy! – Wii, Nintendo DS
-Megamind: The Blue Defender – Nintendo DS, PSP
-Megamind: Mega Team Unite – Wii
-Wheel of Fortune – Wii, Nintendo DS
-The Biggest Loser Challenge – Wii
-The Last Airbender – Wii, Nintendo DS
-Vampire Legends: Power of Three – Nintendo DS
-Truth or Lies -Wii
-All Star Karate - Wii
-Big Beach Sports 2 - Wii
-Daniel X: The Ultimate Power - DS
-SpongeBob's Boating Bash
-Fancy Nancy: Tea Party Time! – Nintendo DS
-Paws & Claws Regal Resort – Nintendo DS
-Scripps Spelling Bee – Nintendo DS
-Penguins of Madagascar – Nintendo DS
-Beat City
-Nancy Drew: The Model Mysteries
So on average, THQ released only 1or 2 games per fiscal quarter for the PS3/360 this year. While it's year round shovelware for the Nintendo Wii.
For that matter I think UFC Unleashed was released before their fiscal quarter, if so they literally released NO Xbox 360 or PS3 games after May & still somehow pulled in half as much as what they made off the Wii.
That or UFC Unleashed made half as much as all the Games on the Nintendo Wii & more than all the DS games in that quarter. Not really a strong point for Nintendo.
Again, for the quarter, they either released one game (UFC in May) for the 360/PC or none at all.
On the PC they released 4 games after that time period.
Here is a sorta complete list of 2010 released & soon to be released games by THQ: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/company/6374.html
So on average, THQ released only 1or 2 games per fiscal quarter for the PS3/360 this year. While it's year round shovelware for the Nintendo Wii.
...
Not really a strong point for THQ.
Wow. That looks like shit. Nothing but mediocre franchises that can't compete with the series they are trying to rip off. The best they got is Darksiders and I seriously see that becoming played out from all the blatant game ripoffs in it. For God's sake by the end you were using portal guns. As for the power of deblob, smackdown, and red faction these are not "buy new" titles. Smackdown's been shit for a decade now and the license will only pull it so much further.
By the way, if its not obvious by now...I hate THQ for half assing everything they throw out.
That or UFC Unleashed made half as much as all the Games on the Nintendo Wii & more than all the DS games in that quarter. Not really a strong point for Nintendo.
The DS "wins," but the quarter is marked mostly by the relatively equal balance amongst platforms, most likely a consequence of no major releases hitting on any single platform. Many times when you see the 360 (or Wii or whatever) do 4x the sales of another platform, it isn't because that platform is so much better for games than the others are, it's that the company released a major game on that platform exclusively (or a set of platforms to the exclusion of others), and this creates enormous spikes in revenue.
And yes, THQ has done well over the past fiscal year. They were profitable for the three quarters preceding this -- but they were also unprofitable for the three years preceeding that. It's difficult to tell if those three quarters were an aberration in a still generally unprofitable system or if this quarter was an aberration for a company that is finally returning to profitability.
My own personal analysis for those who care: we're about to enter a 2-3 year period where the major publishers, as a whole, manage to tread water. Which is an improvement over massively bleeding funds, of course. After that, it's going to depend on how the transition to next generation occurs.
Actually surprised about the DS >.< I thought no third parties were making money on it... well, judging by output... Although THQ hasnt been completely shovelwarely on it at least. Not as bad as Ubi anyway.
And yeah, lol, what stupid reporting, I knew PC was a big slice and they just ignore it completely...
Actually surprised about the DS >.< I thought no third parties were making money on it... well, judging by output... Although THQ hasnt been completely shovelwarely on it at least. Not as bad as Ubi anyway.