THQ is one of those medium publishers that seem to have been hit the hardest by the wave of the worldwide economic crisis, which swept over the videogaming industry. At one point in its existence, THQ was said to be just a little smaller than Activision but now, after the merger with Blizzard, there's a big gap between the two.
Not a long time ago, THQ has announced that it has to cut its operating costs and it would begin by
laying off no less than 600 employees and closing down some of its development studios. The most recent financial report showed a loss of 192 million dollars.
But Brian Farrell, who is the Chief Executive Officer of THQ, is pretty sure that his company will rebound. He talked to the Los Angeles Times and said that the company needs a change in strategy. He stated that “Our strategy is to focus on bigger titles. The formula is to make great games and market them effectively. High review scores lead to high sales and high profits. We think we have a plan in place to do that and return the company back to profitability.”
Some analysts have said that there's a 50 – 50 chance of THQ going under and declaring bankrupcy, just as Midway has recently entered deep trouble. There have also been rumors related to a buy out of the company.
Still, there are some good signs on the horizon. THQ has just released the Relic developed
Dawn of War II, a game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and the stripped down real time strategy mechanics combined with a lot of role playing elements seem to have captured the hearts and wallets of gamers. Dawn of War II is currently in the top spot of all major PC videogame charts and is surely making a lot of money for THQ.
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