Speaking at an MIT conference today, Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two and publisher of Grand Theft Auto, criticised the practices of THQ, the company behind Saint’s Row. Zelnick predicted that the struggling THQ won’t last much longer. [Joystiq]
Grand Theft Auto Publisher: ‘THQ Won’t Be Around In Six Months’
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9 responses to “Grand Theft Auto Publisher: ‘THQ Won’t Be Around In Six Months’”
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GrogDogi hope they will, im looking forward to homefront 2 down better with crytek. although the first one is great imo…im not concerned with game length
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RandomSimsyThe first game was really good! models and textures could have been better but the multiplayer was awesome. The only thing stopping was COD.
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James WilsonI love how THQ said that Take-Two should watch out for themselves…says THQ which is borderline bankrupt! mwahhaha
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thyco1that and the stupidly 3.5hr campaign while also trying way to hard to make us care about what happened to NK invaders. If homefront had been open world instead of a linear manshoot like cod, it would have been so much better
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DogManHe is right about THQ’s strategy. They did focus on licensed IPs, but he misses the part where when they went with new IPs they were willing to give riskier IPs a bit more creative freedom than most. The end result is hit and miss but if the average gamer goes through a list of THQ games odds are they’re going to be able to point out a game they love that wouldn’t have got made elsewhere.
THQ has a great eye for talent they just never got big enough to be able to absorb a few bad years. They’re one of the few big publishers I’d actually be sad to see go. -
Metalisticpainok… can we have an opinion? some more info? a theory? anything more to flesh out this article?
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DogMan
I think I’ve invented a new game. Lazily one uping Kotaku US articles. You put as much effort into them as you did your primary school book reports and see if you can beat the Kotaku US article. Maybe next time I’ll add the rule no backspaces and you only have 30 seconds to read the original article.
Strauss Zelnick (CEO of Take-Two) delivered some really blunt critism of THQ’s business strategy during a speech at a MIT Business in Gaming. He slams their reliance on licensed IPs like UFC, WWE, etc as the reason they’re in bad shape.
His main problem with licensed IPs seems to be the lack of control. When it coms time for renewals they’re at the mercy of the license holder. If they do well with a licensed IP it ultimately increases the cost of renewing the license. Ie, they build up the UFC brand in the video game world and the UFC suddenly has companies like EA trying to woo them too.
He then makes a few boasts about Take-Two game quality, slams THQ game quality and announces that THQ will be dead in six months.THQ later delivered this hilariously dismissive response: http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/05/thq-take-two-ceos-perception-is-outdated/
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HyperthxTHQ has always been an average Publisher. Though Volition has definietly come a long way as an developer.
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JPhillipsMore worried about Relic than Volition, while I love my saints row and old school RF, it just can’t compare to CoH and DoW.
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