I hope THQ folds

[Savio]

They continue to make there games worse and worse every year. Smack Down vs Raw really sucks now compared to HCTP/SYM. They started making the Saints Row series worse as well.

[Emperor Smeat]

They already announced they are dropping all development and support for "casual" games and just focusing on "hardcore" game.

The problem is that leaves them just a few series to work with and even less once the UFC, Warhammer, and WWE licenses are removed. It also means if any of the remaining series pulls a "Red Faction" then they are screwed.

There was even some internal memos leaked that show a huge rift developing between management blaming everyone else (Wii, uDraw, casuals, licenses, etc) while others are blaming management for the stock dropping from $30 years ago to just 70 cents right now.

[Kane Knight]

They started making the Saints Row series worse as well.

But you pissed and moaned about the prior games.

Besides, it's not the SVR series anymore. It's WWE (year name). :shifty:

[James Diesel]

They'll crumble and about 10 more companies will form from former employees. Circle of life

[D Mac]

Watch EA Sports get the WWE license and destroy it all to hell.

[Destor]

Watch EA Sports get the WWE license and destroy it all to hell.
couldnt be worse

[Juan]

Didn't EA release that Def Jam game with the old AKI/No Mercy engine?

[Destor]

fight for new york was aweomse

[Juan]

If EA could somehow bring AKI back into the picture, I'd be all for EA WWE games.

As it is, I haven't played a WWE video game since Here Comes the Pain.

[Tommy Gunn]

WWE 12 will likely be my last, despite being more fluid and some minor improvements, Universe mode still isn't finished and they've sacrificed pace for a more arcade-like experience. Still pisses me off that when you throw someone off a HIAC, if another opponent taps them with their shoe they jump right up again. The directional move addition from SvR 2011 helped make it more interesting, but essentially THQ advertised WWE 12 as a new game engine when it was SVR with new camera angles, breakable grapples and different button mapping.

[Captain of Fun]

Would love for spike to get the WWE license. A WWE game with an improved King of Colosseum engine would be absolutely incredible.

Not a chance in hell though.

[Kane Knight]

Didn't EA release that Def Jam game with the old AKI/No Mercy engine?

And all the subsequent games, the last of which basically burned the franchise to the ground and salted the earth.

WWE 12 will likely be my last, despite being more fluid and some minor improvements, Universe mode still isn't finished and they've sacrificed pace for a more arcade-like experience. Still pisses me off that when you throw someone off a HIAC, if another opponent taps them with their shoe they jump right up again. The directional move addition from SvR 2011 helped make it more interesting, but essentially THQ advertised WWE 12 as a new game engine when it was SVR with new camera angles, breakable grapples and different button mapping.

Wait, WWE 12 was MORE arcadey?

[El Capitano Gatisto]

THQ used to be synonymous back when I was a little lad for really terribly bad games. I always found that a bit funny.

[Kane Knight]

"Used to be?"

[Savio]

But you pissed and moaned about the prior games.
I like SR3 but i miss hitting people with fire hydrants and trash cans. Not to mention mixing shirts and coats. It seems like THQ will add things to a game but take things away at the same time.

[Kane Knight]

Oy vey.

[D Mac]

I'm quite enjoying WWE 12.

[Kane Knight]

I hear varied things about it.

[Penner]

Why is it so good? I played it for 15 minutes and hated it but it got a 9.0 on IGN

[Savio]

I played it on Wii and thought could not just get into it because it was on the Wii

[Fryza]

Instead of folding, and having a bunch of people losing their job, I'd like to see them make games. And then make them well. Good voice-acting, decent (at worst) story, great gameplay, etc etc.

You know, I'd rather see that, then just the company going under. Especially since they're only about an hour away from where I live.

[Kane Knight]

Instead of folding, and having a bunch of people losing their job, I'd like to see them make games. And then make them well. Good voice-acting, decent (at worst) story, great gameplay, etc etc.

You know, I'd rather see that, then just the company going under. Especially since they're only about an hour away from where I live.

Well, they've laid off a fuckton of people now...

[Fryza]

Well, they've laid off a fuckton of people now...

Yeah, and it sucks. They released a TON of bad games, or games that just needed to be developed more.

Sigh.

[Captain of Fun]

The LJN of the modern age.

[Kane Knight]

Yeah, and it sucks. They released a TON of bad games, or games that just needed to be developed more.

Sigh.

Mostly, they released a ton of bad games.

Although they also had the brilliant idea for UDraw.

[Kane Knight]

The LJN of the modern age.

LJN + DLC = THQ.

Yeah, sounds about right.

[The Rogerer]

THQ don't make the WWE games. Yukes makes them and THQ publish them. THQ published the N64 AKI games. 13 years on and still no-one understands it. Knowing anything about game studios seems to be a taboo. The people they laid off where the Australian studios that made a load of Spongebob and other tie in games.

The irony is the game that THQ make internally are pretty good.

[Kane Knight]

13 years on and still no-one understands it.

:lol:

Yes, rog, you are a special snowflake.

[The Rogerer]

If a studio closes in Australia, does it make a sound (in a different company in Japan)?

[Funky Fly]

THQ don't make the WWE games. Yukes makes them and THQ publish them. THQ published the N64 AKI games. 13 years on and still no-one understands it. Knowing anything about game studios seems to be a taboo. The people they laid off where the Australian studios that made a load of Spongebob and other tie in games.

The irony is the game that THQ make internally are pretty good.

They're also terrible publishers anyway. Far too many of their games come out unpolished because they care more about holiday sales deadlines than quality products. They, along with EA, lead the charge with this Online Pass bullshit. Their developers may make the games, but the publishers set the development cycle and its deadlines. That is the sole reason WWE games come out annually with minor changes instead of giving the dev team more time to make real progress between each game.

PS: They killed their own top franchise because they're not all that great as developers.

[Kane Knight]

If a studio closes in Australia, does it make a sound (in a different company in Japan)?

Trick question. Nobody cares about Australia.

They're also terrible publishers anyway. Far too many of their games come out unpolished because they care more about holiday sales deadlines than quality products. They, along with EA, lead the charge with this Online Pass bullshit. Their developers may make the games, but the publishers set the development cycle and its deadlines. That is the sole reason WWE games come out annually with minor changes instead of giving the dev team more time to make real progress between each game.

PS: They killed their own top franchise because they're not all that great as developers.

But they didn't MAKE the GAMES. Surely you don't think they have an impact on the developers, despite past occurrences.

[The Rogerer]

Yukes are surely having a laugh, winning the contract for that long. It's not as if they don't know they're releasing a game on a yearly basis. One of the big concerns in the Rajah thread when WWE 12 was coming out was "Can they make the belts bigger" and "Can the car come down the ramp during an entrance", truly challenging achievements after about 12 (is it twelve) releases of the same game, your programmers might have a bit of spare time to add in whatever features that people feel are missing.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Yukes are surely having a laugh, winning the contract for that long. It's not as if they don't know they're releasing a game on a yearly basis. One of the big concerns in the Rajah thread when WWE 12 was coming out was "Can they make the belts bigger" and "Can the car come down the ramp during an entrance", truly challenging achievements after about 12 (is it twelve) releases of the same game, your programmers might have a bit of spare time to add in whatever features that people feel are missing.

Nope. 13.



WWF SmackDown!
WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role
WWF SmackDown!: Just Bring It
WWE SmackDown!: Shut Your Mouth
WWE SmackDown!: Here Comes The Pain
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2009
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2010
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2011
WWE '12

:p

[Kane Knight]

your programmers might have a bit of spare time to add in whatever features that people feel are missing.

:rofl:

[Destor]

Nope. 13.



WWF SmackDown!
WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role
WWF SmackDown!: Just Bring It
WWE SmackDown!: Shut Your Mouth
WWE SmackDown!: Here Comes The Pain
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2009
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2010
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2011
WWE '12
:p
+wwe RAW/WWE RAW 2/Wrestle Mania X-8, 19, Day of Reckoning, and DoR2. DoR1&2 used very similar (though imo superior) gameplay. Like a hybrid of No Mercy and the SD! series of the time.

[Kane Knight]

+wwe RAW/WWE RAW 2/Wrestle Mania X-8, 19, Day of Reckoning, and DoR2. DoR1&2 used very similar (though imo superior) gameplay. Like a hybrid of No Mercy and the SD! series of the time.

All the DoR series needed was more features to make it the best wrestling series, period.

[Funky Fly]

It'd be pretty easy to do too, since most of what the engine needs is polish and an expanded moveset. The rest would be standard shit: bumped up graphics, current roster, current match types, online suite, updated customization. Maybe throw some crazy shit in there like a 6 sided ring stage or some thing, just to troll TNA or something.

[whiteyford]

Going the UFC route and releasing a game every two years would be ideal,but like has already been said, it wont happen while it still makes a profit. I'm sure they pretty much start the next game in the series as soon as the last ones released.

[Kane Knight]

It'd be pretty easy to do too, since most of what the engine needs is polish and an expanded moveset. The rest would be standard shit: bumped up graphics, current roster, current match types, online suite, updated customization. Maybe throw some crazy shit in there like a 6 sided ring stage or some thing, just to troll TNA or something.

Fixing the multiplayer physics would be nice, too, but yeah, you got the basics. Plus, trolling TNA would be awesome.

Going the UFC route and releasing a game every two years would be ideal,but like has already been said, it wont happen while it still makes a profit. I'm sure they pretty much start the next game in the series as soon as the last ones released.

It doesn't hurt the fans are clamoring for it. Long as there are minimal improvements and roster updates....

Also, it's fucking ridiculous that it took us to 2011 to stop selling games using the PS2 era build.

[whiteyford]

It doesn't hurt the fans are clamoring for it. Long as there are minimal improvements and roster updates....

:$

[Kane Knight]

:$

I know. I'm not really a fan, mind. I usually skip at least one year between updates. Sometimes more, because I really don't care for yearly iterations.

[whiteyford]

I buy them every year and still bitch,i'm enabling the problem:nono: Its true what youre saying though,no matter how bad the game is theres a core audience who will buy it regardless,even if they spend the next 12months complaining about it.

[Kane Knight]

They're their own worst enemy. And not helping everyone else.

[DAMN iNATOR]

+wwe RAW/WWE RAW 2/Wrestle Mania X-8, 19, Day of Reckoning, and DoR2. DoR1&2 used very similar (though imo superior) gameplay. Like a hybrid of No Mercy and the SD! series of the time.

I know that, but clearly The Rogerer was specifically referring to the number of titles to date in the SmackDown! series of games by THQ, not the RAW/WM/DOR games. Also, you forgot about this abortion of a WWE game ( \/ ):

http://i44.tinypic.com/9zrmrl.jpg

[Kane Knight]

Pretty sure I'm done with THQ period, though. I don't like the online pass model, and after what they did to Saints Row, I'm not sure I'm going to support them at all.

[The Rogerer]

What did they do to Saint's Row 3? I can understand that they stripped back features from 2, but overall I enjoyed the direction of SR3 a lot more and it was one of my games of the year. Giant Bomb was on the verge of announcing SR3 as the game of the year, and argued it down to number 2. What do you think went wrong?

On online passes, EA, Activision, Sony, THQ, Eidos, Ubisoft, Codemasters, Warner Bros and goodness knows how many else do them. Although I'm not a fan in some ways, it's not the worst solution in the world and if you're challenging it via boycott on a publisher basis you'll be casting a very wide net.

[Kane Knight]

and if you're challenging it via boycott on a publisher basis you'll be casting a very wide net.


Course, I'm not, and that was such a gross misrepresentation it should have been a Verbose Minch post.

It certainly did not help, however.

[The Rogerer]

I really don't know what you're on about.

[DAMN iNATOR]

What did they do to Saint's Row 3? I can understand that they stripped back features from 2, but overall I enjoyed the direction of SR3 a lot more and it was one of my games of the year. Giant Bomb was on the verge of announcing SR3 as the game of the year, and argued it down to number 2. What do you think went wrong?

On online passes, EA, Activision, Sony, THQ, Eidos, Ubisoft, Codemasters, Warner Bros and goodness knows how many else do them. Although I'm not a fan in some ways, it's not the worst solution in the world and if you're challenging it via boycott on a publisher basis you'll be casting a very wide net.

I agree about the SR3 argument here. I think THQ did a great job not only of fleshing out the story, but also the world, weapons, activities, vehicles and character development.

[whiteyford]

The game was fine but they definately reduced the activities or it felt that way at least.

[Captain of Fun]

Felt boring afer 2. Faaaar less variety in the enviornments. More detail doesn't help when everything bleeds together.

Stripped a lot of stuff I liked about the second one.

[Captain of Fun]

Also, I'm just going to come right out and say this.


Rumble Roses was a great wrestling game.

[Emperor Smeat]

Wasn't there talk one time of the Rumble Roses engine was created as both a way to test out a new wrestling engine and potentially become the new engine for the WWE series?

Konami published it because THQ wasn't too thrilled about a new engine when the Smackdown engine was still good for the PS2 games (Gamecube and Xbox still had separate engines for their games). Nor did THQ want to risk using the Smackdown series for an unsure engine.


Oh yeah more bad news for THQ since they might be pulling support from one of the studios they have working for them right now called Valhalla Game Studios in Japan. The studio has worked with other publishers but if THQ pulls out funding for future games, the studio does not have enough money to stay around and would take longer to find a new publisher than to just shut down.

[Emperor Smeat]

NASDAQ threatens THQ with a potential delisting of their stock if it doesn't rise to above $1 in the next 30 days with the starting point being January 25. The stock will also have to stay above $1 for 10 days straight in order for NSADAQ to remove the delisting process from THQ.

Right now the stock's value is around the 67 cents range and down 3 cents from the previous week.

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/warning-sign-183-thq-threatened-with-nasdaq-delisting/3948/

[Disturbed316]

170 staff have apparently been let go today too, adding to the troubles:

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/334055/170-thq-staff-laid-off-report-claims/

[DAMN iNATOR]

Also, I'm just going to come right out and say this.


Rumble Roses was a great wrestling game.

PLEASE tell me you're joking.

[Captain of Fun]

Nope. Pretty good gameplay engine, and awesome presentation.

Also, a ton of sick ass moves, that I have yet to see anywhere else. (Not talking about the unrealistic ones, though those are fun too.)

I like that each wrestler has a heel persona with a different entrance and finishers.

Really fun game as long as you aren't all "rawwwwr wrestling is serious business!"

[Captain of Fun]

I remember the main character of the game had a submission hold that was a dragon sleeper combined with a romero special. Fucking awesome.

[Emperor Smeat]

Some details from THQ's finical report and wow they really screwed up badly with the uDraw fiasco.

Lost $30 million alone last quarter from uDraw and well under their $100 million they were expecting to generate from it. Also managed to be a huge blunder in ignoring the already established Wii uDraw market for the risk on moving it to the HD market.

Ended up using all the resources from their highly profitable Kids/Casual division which kept them financially healthy and traded it all for the huge risk from uDraw. Now that uDraw failed badly, they decided to also close down their kids/casual division and blamed it for the low sales.

THQ is going in the process of shrinking its company size by over 50% once all the layoffs and restructuring is done.

Saints Row right now is their largest non-contracted IP series in terms of sales and revenue generated.

* THQ lost roughly $30 million on their high-definition uDraw bet.
* Confidence was misplaced on uDraw, but it was a catalyst to “evaluate our business from top to bottom.”
* THQ has ceased production of uDraw hardware, has a plan to move the rest of the units through retail channels, but has no further plans for uDraw.
* The plan is to now “transform THQ into a smaller, more agile entertainment company.”
* Looking toward the future, it “intends to launch new franchises as future platforms are introduced.”
* Saints Row: The Third represents largest “owned IP” launch in THQ history.
* uDraw was approximately $100M below expectations.
* THQ’s quarterly earnings would have doubled without uDraw in the mix.
* THQ is going “to be a smaller company,” and next year, net sales should be “roughly half.”
* Darksiders was not marketed aggressively enough, but Darksiders 2 will “build on the quality of the experience,” and THQ hopes to elevate the brand into a “mass market event” by doubling marketing.
* Characterized Metro: Last Light as a sequel to a game that was a “high quality title that had very limited marketing,” and delaying the sequel to “fully realize the value of this hidden gem to enhance and polish the gameplay.” Also, way more marketing.
* Homefront ultimately shipped nearly 3 million copies, and sold 1 million in its first week.
* THQ said Homefront’s online consumer experience “suffered from technical issues.”
* The upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millenium Online is a game where THQ has to be “realistic about [their] resources” and is seeking a partner to work on the game with.
* uDraw was meant to be a bridge to “core to digital future” and turned to be a “plank.”
* THQ now has “very realistic expectations” (read: lower) for future sales of games.
* As for Patrice Désilets next game, he’s still in “early pre-production on his project,” and there will be more detail on that “at the right time, but he’s “pleased with progress at building the team.”
* In addition to collaborating on the MMO, Relic is “highly focused on RTS.”
* As for the future of Saints Row, Volition is “dedicated to the Saints Row franchise.”

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/tidbits-from-todays-unhappy-thq-earning-call/3961/

[Funky Fly]

That was very poorly written, for an article. THQ is going to get delisted for sure, tho. There's no coming back in one month, unless they release a killer app tomorrow.

[Savio]

WWE 13

[Mister Sinister]

They better hope UFC Undisputed sells like hot cakes, I'm talking MW3, Gears Of War, Uncharted....combined in one week.

[The Rogerer]

The thing about THQ folding is that WWE would give the rights to another publisher, that publisher would go straight to Yukes and cut a deal for some easy money, and things will carry on the same as they are now.