The people behind Saint’s Row and Red Faction are gunning for Activision and EA.
For some, the list of major video game publishers begins and ends with Activision and EA – or maybe Ubisoft and 2K if you’re feeling generous – but THQ CEO Brian Farrell insists that his company deserves to be mentioned alongside the other giants of the industry. Pointing to the successful release of Homefront, he argues that THQ has proven that it can compete despite limited resources and he thinks that any company would be envious of THQ’s 2011 lineup.
“We certainly think of ourselves as one of the big ones,” said Farrell “We had the top selling game in March with Homefront. …There was a time, ‘Oh my gosh, THQ! You’re launching Homefront in March. It’s so crowded. You’ve got Crisis, you’ve got dadadadada…’ We were number one. We crushed the competition here and in the U.K. and in other markets that we track. So our goal is to have great products, pick our spots, where we can compete and win.”
“It’s not about numbers of products – it’s about bringing great products to market,” he continued.
While I wouldn’t place THQ on the level with Activision or EA – they don’t have anything to rival Call of Duty or Madden – I would consider them to be a major player within the industry and there’s no shame in finding success at a slightly lower tier. If anything, it may even give THQ more flexibility as a publisher. Whether it’s signing a deal with Guillermo del Toro or discussing future consoles, THQ execs are usually good for some intriguing sound bytes and it’s a bit easier to experiment with new ideas when you’re only responsible for millions instead of billions.
Besides, it’s not as if the major companies are guaranteed to have success. EA is still losing buckets of money, so there’s definitely something to be said for a publisher that’s focused on quality instead of quantity.
Source: Industry Gamers
