THQ Boss Explains MMO No No News
Jon Wilcox
20/06/2006
Taking part at a recent function, THQ CEO Brian Farrell reveals why the company's strategy to MMO gaming...
Speaking at the Lazard Capital Markets Investor meeting recently, THQ's CEO and President Brian Farrell has revealed why his company (and other top publishers) haven't made the leap into genre of the moment, MMORPGs. Somewhat inevitably citing Blizzard's MMO behemoth World of Warcraft, Farell commented, "I think what you will not see THQ do is come out with another fantasy type game. The other thing we're thinking is these things tend to have a window. Right now that product is World of WarCraft, so the idea would be to time something for when that product is going to be on its downward slope."
Farrell did announce recent successes for his company, including news that the videogame adaptation of Pixar's Cars had outsold similar efforts by both Finding Nemo and The Incredibles in the first week of sales. The title was actually the number one game in Australia, whilst THQ's MotoGP '06 took the number one spot in the Xbox 360 charts here in the UK.
THQ has also confirmed an improved market share in a number of key territories on the year, such as the United States, the UK, and Australia, with ten titles breaking the one million unit sales during the course of 2005 compared to just six in 2004. Revenues for the company by the end of the 2007 fiscal year are also expected to increase for the eleventh consecutive year, an somewhat impressive stat given this 'difficult' time of transition.
The company's intentions to improve operating margins were also confirmed by Farrell, with internal development expected to increase from 20% to 50% by 2008, and owned IPs set to increase by 10% by 2008 to 40%.
Financial outlooks aren't exactly the usual topic of conversation at the breakfast table, but it probably beats watching Team USA's performance in the World Cup.
We'll have more news shortly...