It’s not about how many games you release, says THQ’s CEO, it’s about how many you sell.
THQ CEO Brian Farrell says that he views his company as one of the big publishers in the videogame industry. What’s more, while THQ might not have the same resources as the likes of Activision and EA, Farrell is confident that it can hold its own against them.
Farrell points to THQ’s recent success with Homefront as proof that the publisher is capable of going toe-to-toe with its rivals. He said that despite being released at the same time as other high-profile titles like Crysis 2, Homefront managed to outsell them all. “We had the top selling game in March with Homefront … We were number one. We crushed the competition here and in the UK and in other markets that we track,” Farrell said. “It’s not about numbers of products, it’s about bringing great products to market, marketing them as we did with Homefront, and as we intend to do with the rest of these games. So when we can compete, we win.” He said that THQ had undertaken a new strategy two years ago, and although 2010 had been a relatively quiet year, the pipeline for 2011 would make THQ’s rivals envious.
THQ’s success with Homefront is impressive, especially in spite of its slightly lackluster review scores – something that Farrell blamed on the single player campaign – but one game does not a top-tier publisher make. Activision and EA, not to mention the likes of Ubisoft and Take-Two, have dozens of very popular and successful IPs making up their portfolios, something that THQ can’t quite match yet. But that could all change – especially if THQ’s upcoming games are as good as Farrell claims they are – and who knows? Maybe one day THQ will be standing alongside the giants of the industry.
Source: Industry Gamers
