Ben-DutkaUpdate: Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has said he regrets his statements:
""While discussing our strategy I spoke out of turn about someone else’s. It was inappropriate and I regret it."
Original Story:
THQ has fallen on tough times, although the company swears that things are looking up.
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick doesn't agree, though; he flatly told Joystiq that THQ "won't be around in six months," which has ruffled some THQ feathers.
His comments came during a speech at the MIT Business in Gaming conference, and Zelnick added that it was THQ's licensed properties that spelled disaster. Only recently has THQ said they're moving away from licensed stuff and focusing on producing AAA-quality titles. But it might be too little, too late; said Zelnick:
"THQ's strategy was licensed properties, first and foremost. License stuff from other people, whether it's UFC or WWE or a motion picture property, and make a game around that. And our approach, since we took over the company, is 100 percent owned intellectual property.
[THQ's] strategy didn't work and the execution was bad. To put it another way: the food was no good and the portions were small. THQ won't be around in six months."
He says the biggest difference between Take-Two and THQ is, in point of fact, quality. Zelnick mentioned that his company "has the highest quality ratings among third-party publishers" and in the end, "quality really, really, really matters." He acknowledged that THQ "has some good games" but overall, they haven't really "measured up."
And how does THQ respond to this? Here's what a THQ representative told GameSpot :
"Obviously, Mr. Zelnick's perception of THQ is outdated and inaccurate. His comments are irresponsible and false. Perhaps he would be better off commenting on his own business."
Oooooh… 'grabs popcorn'
