Ben-DutkaTHQ is having some financial difficulties right now, but new boss Jason Rubin expects to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
During an in-depth interview with GamesIndustry.biz , Rubin spoke about how he may do things differently as compared to former head man Danny Bilson. He also says he wants Saints Row to become a true-blue blockbuster and right now, the Guillermo del Toro project – inSANE – remains somewhat vague.
As for the company's primary focus, Rubin wasn't vague at all. When asked if THQ's emphasis "really is on triple-A console games," the new president replied:
"Correct. There will come a day where the tablets are extremely powerful and capable of running games. I think Company of Heroes, as an RTS with its control mechanism, is much easier to move onto a tablet than something that requires a dual stick and a significant amount of controls. It's just inherent. So could a Company of Heroes or something along those lines end up on a tablet soon? Absolutely. Do I think that there is going to be a Saints Row on a tablet? In the immediate future, no I don't. Eventually? Sure, if we can figure out the control issues that are obviously inherent in core gaming. Tilt and touch doesn't really work that well. There are a lot of opportunities."
It's a tough world out there with competition all over the place. We hope THQ, and the upcoming South Park: Stick of Truth , ends up doing well.
Admirable but during a financial crisis it may be best to invest in some games that are less risky as far as AAA budgets go. You don't want to sink your studio if a couple of spendy games flop. I would take some creative risks on a smaller scale while supporting the surefire hits like Saint's Row until the coffers are filled again.
Aye, good point World – AAA is a risky proposition at the best of times, and even Activision hasn't actually made a lot of money lately (it makes heaps of revenue, but doesn't do nearly as well when it comes to profit – it's still solid, but we're talking just solid for the publisher with CoD, WoW, Diablo and Starcraft under the one roof).
Still, I think mobile and browser games have got pretty saturated pretty fast, and that we're well past the stage where it's 'easy money' on those platforms, so focussing on consoles/PC isn't a crazy thing to do. But maybe as you imply, do some smaller-scale downloadable titles, and reduce the risk factor.
I'm glad someone said this about tablet gaming. The controls basically nix any chance of grabbing hardcore gamers.
Hear that Jaffe?
Nah, he's too busy combing his hair. :p
What's THQ done this gen? last game I remember from them was WWF Smackdown!: Here Comes the Pain …
darksiders, metro 2033, deblob, saints row to name a few.
the publisher that has brought the most new IPs to this generation!
Red Faction, some people liked Guerrilla but the one after that kind of killed the series.
dunno why it was such a awesome game!
so much fun using the gravity gun to rip things apart and fire them across the room!
than the repair abilities.
one thing that really irks me this gen.
people whine till their faces are blue that we dont get any games that are a little different.
they complain that all shooters are a bit boring and the same.
so along comes something like armageddon, something totally different it could not be more different than the standard shooters!
so does it sell?
nope!
as cliffy b said, haters will hate all the way to the cash register.
they say they want something different, but when something different finally releases, they go and buy last years sequel instead!
The Saints Row games are my favourite coop games ever, I think. And I liked Red Faction: Guerilla a lot too. Well, at least until around 2/3 into the game, then things started getting a bit too repetitive. Still, I think it was a more than decent game.
Last edited by Beamboom on 6/19/2012 3:52:45 PM
so why the ^%$# are you wasting your time and money on WWE13!?
O, btw there is a saints row on tablets, its called gangstar and its 1000 times better than saints row!
or even 9mm.
god gameloft are kicking a$$!
modern combat, N.O.V.A, spiderman, 9mm, thank god for gameloft, otherwise id be sprinting back to my iphone!
dont like this new guy at all.
all he does is say one thing, than go and do the complete opposite!
either that, or talk complete utter sh*t!
Last edited by ___________ on 6/19/2012 7:02:03 AM
I have a friend who would have a conniption if they didn't make another WWE title. Some fans kill for those games.
1%!
and that does not answer the question.
question was if THQ is focused on AAA games, as the interview quoted, then why are they wasting their time on WWE which could not be further away from a AAA game!