Support NeoGAF

[scitek]

Warner Brothers sounds like the best case scenario for gamers, exclusive DLC shenanigans notwithstanding. If they ate THQ they could become a true powerhouse with some judicious management.

Well, despite their affinity for GFWL, and their horrendous delays and bullshit PR, at least WB support the PC, so we'd still get THQ's properties on it. EA or Activision would kill off anything that can't be streamlined into a yearly franchise.

Quick question, is Space Marine worth $17?

 

[LiK]

Well, despite their affinity for GFWL, and their horrendous delays and bullshit PR, at least WB support the PC, so we'd still get THQ's properties on it. EA or Activision would kill off anything that can't be streamlined into a yearly franchise.

Quick question, is Space Marine worth $17?

where??

 

[Sportbilly]

Steam? (well, it's £10.19, which I assume is about $17)

 

[grendelrt]

where??

Steam weekend sale currently with most of the DLC

 

[LiK]

hot damn! yes

 

[Htown]

Square or Warner Brothers.

I feel like Square is still too busy fully integrating with Eidos and keeping their Japanese projects from catching on fire.

 

[speculawyer]

I'll be honest, looking at their game line-up, I don't understand how they intend to survive this fiscal year.

Yeah, I'm a bit worried. Some of the games have got great reviews but the IP has not been popular.

For example, both Metro and Darksiders were good games and got decent reviews. But I don't think either one was very popular sales wise. But I guess the UFC and WWE stuff can carry them along.

 

[FateBreaker]

Am I reading that thread title correctly? This means the entire THQ company has, as of this moment, 47.7 million in savings to spend from here on out? ... And they just lost 56 million last quarter?

...So at this rate, they're done in one or two quarters? Someone tell me I'm misinterpreting this.

Square would fire everyone like eidos, wouldn't be good :/

What the heck are you talking about? I think they've used the Eidos brand/subsidiaries pretty darn well so far (Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Tomb Raider looks great).

 

[TheNatural]

So if I buy THQ stock and they get purchased, it's going to go up a ton right? But if I buy THQ stock and they go bankrupt, I lose everything.

 

[Mindlog]

Pretty much.
Everyone is thinking the same thing.
and the stock is still way down on enormous volume

This could be a Bizarre Creations (aao) situation unfortunately. Potential suitors prefer to pick at the remains rather than try to revive, Frankenstein.

stock is up modestly after-hours
volume is @_@

 

[bigtroyjon]

So if I buy THQ stock and they get purchased, it's going to go up a ton right? But if I buy THQ stock and they go bankrupt, I lose everything.

You lose everything if they go bankrupt but it won't be going up a ton if they get bought because there isn't any reason for someone to pay a huge premium on the stock price. Best chance of the stock going up a ton in the short term is UFC sells a bunch more than expected.

 

[Jhriad]

So their stock is down 30% for the day to an amazing 53 cents. Jeez, is there any way they could pull out of this death spiral?

 

[Antioch]

Doesn't look like there's any way back now, I wouldn't be worried about stuff like Devil's Third and Turtle Rock's game though since they can probably just find other publishers. But the THQ owned stuff is concerning, hopefully someone like Zenimax or Warner Bros. picks up some studios, especially as WB has the potential to be one of the biggest publishers next gen, stuff like Saint's Row could certainly help them fulfill that potential.

 

[boingball]

"Volition is dedicated to Saints Row franchise"

I hope they find a new shelter, perhaps with EA or S-E (TakeTwo is probably not interested, and I sincerely hope they don't end up with Activision).

 

[TheNatural]

You lose everything if they go bankrupt but it won't be going up a ton if they get bought because there isn't any reason for someone to pay a huge premium on the stock price. Best chance of the stock going up a ton in the short term is UFC sells a bunch more than expected.

Any acquisition means security, so it will go up a good amount just because of that. And by good amount, the stock is low as hell right now, if it jumps to a dollar, that's double the stock price. If THQ survives it has to go up.

 

[bigtroyjon]

Any acquisition means security, so it will go up a good amount just because of that. And by good amount, the stock is low as hell right now, if it jumps to a dollar, that's double the stock price. If THQ survives it has to go up.

Nobody is going to pay a premium for a company that is on the verge of bankruptcy so any agreement to sell will be a done at a price that isn't much higher than where it currently sits. The stock isn't going to go higher than what they agree to sell it for.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

I guess the writing's on the wall, they're done. uDraw HD sank THQ pretty much alone.

 

[TAJ]

So... if I'm reading this correctly, slashing half of their employees only saved them $60 million? How the fuck are they burning through so much cash?

 

[TouchMyBox]

Is my $20 pre-order of Darksiders 2 safe?

 

[Dalthien]

I guess the writing's on the wall, they're done. uDraw HD sank THQ pretty much alone.

God no. Not even close. HD uDraw was an absolutely asinine and boneheaded move that just happened to come at a time when THQ is so close to death that they literally cannot afford any screwups whatsoever.

But let's not kid ourselves. THQ has been on the road towards death for a number of years now. HD uDraw is just one of a number of horrific missteps.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

God no. Not even close. HD uDraw was an absolutely asinine and boneheaded move that just happened to come at a time when THQ is so close to death that they literally cannot afford any screwups whatsoever.

But let's not kid ourselves. THQ has been on the road towards death for a number of years now.

The management has been terrible for a long time, and they've been on life support for a number of years, but I'd still say uDraw HD was the final nail in the coffin, and the one thing that sank the entire company.

I'm still baffled anyone at all thought it would be a good idea to release uDraw for the PS360. Were they even thinking at all?

 

[FLEABttn]

Yeah, I'm a bit worried. Some of the games have got great views but the IP has not been popular.

For example, both Metro and Darksiders were good games and got decent reviews. But I don't think either one was very popular sales wise. But I guess the UFC and WWE stuff can carry them along.

Neither blew up the charts. Metro was profitable but not high revenue. It sounded like Darksiders broke even.

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

I'm still baffled anyone at all thought it would be a good idea to release uDraw for the PS360. Were they even thinking at all?

A lot of people on the inside at THQ apparently tried to warn the management, but the management kept citing two studies it commissioned which found that there was an audience on the PS360 and they just ignored everything else.

 

[Averon]

A lot of people on the inside at THQ apparently tried to warn the management, but the management kept citing two studies it commissioned which found that there was an audience on the PS360 and they just ignored everything else.

Wow. Management needs to be hung for their incompetence and bullheadedness.

 

[TreIII]

Warner Brothers sounds like the best case scenario for gamers, exclusive DLC shenanigans notwithstanding. If they ate THQ they could become a true powerhouse with some judicious management.

If worse came to worse, I wouldn't mind this possibility. I mean, compared to Midway (who was also a fairly decent publisher run by idiots), NRS is seemingly doing just fine at WB, now.

 

[AranhaHunter]

So if I buy THQ stock and they get purchased, it's going to go up a ton right? But if I buy THQ stock and they go bankrupt, I lose everything.

They go bankrupt, you lose, they get bought, their stock might get a 15-20% premium as they really don't have much to their name in terms of IP. UFC, Cars, etc are all owned by someone else. Red Faction, Warhammer, and SR are their main IPs I think. It's an incredibly risky proposition, even if you are a gambler, I would stay the hell away from it.

I personally think the only IP they have worth half a damn is Saint's Row and with GTAV coming out possibly as early as this year, I don't think it's worth the bet. Hell, even ACIII will be out, satisfying the needs for Open World games.

Anyways, the market value is 36 mil, if they are to get swallowed up by another company, then the possible buyers that immediately jump to mind are:

Sony - Not worth it for them at this point in time, but I can see them going for it if the price lowers
Microsoft - I think they will sit this one out, but I can see them going for it if they deem having Saints Row and Red Faction exclusively is worth 40 mil
Nintendo - I don't see them going for it under any circumstance
EA - Possibly the most interested party, but they just bought popcap, so they might not go for it
Activision - they need another decent franchise besides COD so possibly
Take Two - Maybe but why would they?
Ubi - Same as T2
Warner Brothers - Forgot about this one, strong contenders as they try to become major players in the game industry.

If I had to guess who ends up buying THQ, if they get sold, I would say WB, Activision, EA, or Microsoft.

 

[CrunchinJelly]

Why don't they sell of some off their unused IPs like Acclaim did just before they died?

They said they're done with Red Faction? Sell it off. Done with de Blob? Someone'll buy it.

 

[AranhaHunter]

Why don't they sell of some off their unused IPs like Acclaim did just before they died?

They said they're done with Red Faction? Sell it off. Done with de Blob? Someone'll buy it.

How much do you think those IPs are worth? Not a lot I reckon.

 

[erragal]

They go bankrupt, you lose, they get bought, their stock might get a 15-20% premium as they really don't have much to their name in terms of IP. UFC, Cars, etc are all owned by someone else. Red Faction, Warhammer, and SR are their main IPs I think. It's an incredibly risky proposition, even if you are a gambler, I would stay the hell away from it.

I personally think the only IP they have worth half a damn is Saint's Row and with GTAV coming out possibly as early as this year, I don't think it's worth the bet. Hell, even ACIII will be out, satisfying the needs for Open World games.

Anyways, the market value is 36 mil, if they are to get swallowed up by another company, then the possible buyers that immediately jump to mind are:

Sony - Not worth it for them at this point in time, but I can see them going for it if the price lowers
Microsoft - I think they will sit this one out, but I can see them going for it if they deem having Saints Row and Red Faction exclusively is worth 40 mil
Nintendo - I don't see them going for it under any circumstance
EA - Possibly the most interested party, but they just bought popcap, so they might not go for it
Activision - they need another decent franchise besides COD so possibly
Take Two - Maybe but why would they?
Ubi - Same as T2
Warner Brothers - Forgot about this one, strong contenders as they try to become major players in the game industry.

If I had to guess who ends up buying THQ, if they get sold, I would say WB, Activision, EA, or Microsoft.

Other than SR their IP's have almost no value. They don't own Warhammer either, that's a Games Workshop IP (And they do not have the cash flow to just buy/run Relic alone, it'd be a larger business than their entire current company).

The only thing they have of value are the actual development houses. That's why Warner makes even more sense; they can purchase a studio like Vigil/Relic and just put them right on a more lucratic IP (for them).

 

[Deadbeat]

I hope they find a new shelter, perhaps with EA or S-E (TakeTwo is probably not interested, and I sincerely hope they don't end up with Activision).

You say Activision is a bad choice but EA is good. That is mind boggling. Have you been paying attention to this generation?

edit: two things I hope happen before THQ dies: Metro Last Light and South Park RPG get released. After that it doesnt matter.

 

[Baron_Calamity]

I think liquidators will be called in and everything will be shut down and sold off. Its possible that someone might buy a studio and its IP, but it seems likely that someone will buy the ip and then attempt to hire the now unemployed creators.

 

[TreIII]

If I had to guess who ends up buying THQ, if they get sold, I would say WB, Activision, EA, or Microsoft.

What about Zenimax? At the very least, I would think they might like to have Vigil, Valhallla and/or Volition in their stables.

 

[Antioch]

What about Zenimax? At the very least, I would think they might like to have Vigil, Valhallla and/or Volition in their stables.

Valhalla are independent though, aren't they?

Btw, I think Sony buying Volition and the Saint's Row ip would make sense, seeing as they need more system selling games, and exclusive Saint's Row would really boost their first party line-up, same could be said for Microsoft though.

 

[deduce]

Is the Turtle Rock mentioned the same studio that made Left4Dead and CS: Condition Zero? I thought Valve acquired them years ago. I wonder what they've been making.

 

[faceless007]

Valve did buy them and most of the people, but some didn't like it there and left, then later bought back the Turtle Rock name. It's a separate company now.

 

[Totobeni]

At this point even Interplay may be able to buy them.

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

Btw, I think Sony buying Volition and the Saint's Row ip would make sense, seeing as they need more system selling games, and exclusive Saint's Row would really boost their first party line-up, same could be said for Microsoft though.

Rockstar wouldn't be happy about that.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Rockstar wouldn't be happy about that.

Even if the SR franchise ended up as a Sony or MS exclusive, Rockstar would have little reason to complain, as SR and GTA serve different market segments. GTA IV, and possibly GTA V, took the series in a more serious direction, while SR3 went the complete opposite direction and made the game completely wacky.

 

[Antioch]

Rockstar wouldn't be happy about that.

True to an extent, but I'm sure they'd be happy about having the other systems largely to themselves as far as sandbox games go.

 

[shaowebb]

The thing THQ needed to learn is if you intend to buy up a ton of licenses to produce floodware to create a safety net of profits for more ambitious franchises to dip into then you need to be certain the licenses aren't too costly, and are profitable enough to cover both the cost of the license agreement and the development costs from sales.

I've heard tale of several bad license choices being made and lots of completely bizarre spending up top from employee tweets that've been posted recently about this company. I'd hate to see em die now though given they finally have a few good studios that are pumping out quality franchises now.

 

[Diatribe1974]

Well, despite their affinity for GFWL, and their horrendous delays and bullshit PR, at least WB support the PC, so we'd still get THQ's properties on it. EA or Activision would kill off anything that can't be streamlined into a yearly franchise.

Quick question, is Space Marine worth $17?

Space Marine was worth it at 59.99.

 

[KAP151]

What's more, THQ says it has over 1.4 million uDraw tablets sitting unwanted and unloved in its warehouses, damaging its bottom line for the quarter to the tune of $100 million and contributing to a dismal $55.9 million loss for the company as a whole.

Someone, somewhere made the final decision to green light the 360/PS3 versions. Talk about your all time fuck-ups.

 

[Acrylic7]

What's more, THQ says it has over 1.4 million uDraw tablets sitting unwanted and unloved in its warehouses, damaging its bottom line for the quarter to the tune of $100 million and contributing to a dismal $55.9 million loss for the company as a whole.

Someone, somewhere made the final decision to green light the 360/PS3 versions. Talk about your all time fuck-ups.

they are $10 in the Walmart Black Friday Ads.
Is it worth it?

 

[BobJustBob]

The thing about the HD versions of uDraw is (and it's probably already covered in this old thread) that $100 million is not from uDraw. They lost relatively little money on uDraw itself. The reason they blame it is because they were expecting it to make enough money to cover the losses from all their other failing projects. All uDraw did is force them to stop making bad decisions a little sooner than they otherwise would have.