Former THQ top dog Jason Rubin weighs in on why he and so many others are now out of a job.
There countless differing opinions out there as to why THQ ultimately met its demise. Many point to a changing gaming landscape which the company simply couldn’t adapt to, but THQ President Jason Rubin sees things a bit differently. In an interview with MCV, the former boss explains that several “massive mistakes” were ultimately what doomed THQ.
“To be sure, all triple-A publishers have been under pressure, but THQ had every chance to survive had it not made massive mistakes,” Rubin admits. “Unfortunately, the mistakes that were made long before I joined, like the incredible losses attached to uDraw, massive wasted capital in the unpublished MMO that was cancelled, sticking with children’s and casual titles far after mobile and tablets had killed the business, bad, late, or otherwise inferior titles like Homefront, and a generally haphazard and inefficient approach to deal making, left the company with too much negative hanging on its books.”
Rubin’s frank assessment of THQ’s stumbles is somewhat refreshing, and he certainly doesn’t beat around the bush. Having joined the company in early 2012, much the damage to THQ’s stability seems to have been done before he took the job. But regardless of who should shoulder the majority of the blame, THQ’s closure and subsequent piecemeal sell-off will make the next few years very interesting for the various franchises that once called the company “home.”
Source: MCV
