THQ dodging Halo 3, GTA 4

By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpotPosted Feb 2, 2007 7:57 pm GMT

Publisher talks about not going head-to-head with blockbusters, cost of Xbox 360-PS3 ports, and in-game ads for Stuntman Ignition, three more.

THQ released financial results for its fiscal third quarter (October through December) today, and afterward, company executives jumped on a conference call for a grilling from industry analysts.

When asked about how the company was planning to compete with the expected release of heavyweights like Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV later this year, a THQ executive said the company would do what it could to avoid a head-to-head fight with either game. While it isn't shy about releasing licensed fare like Nickelodeon-based titles or WWE games in the same time frame as industry-wide blockbusters, the publisher has "strategically placed" original offerings like Destroy All Humans!, Juiced, and Saints Row around the bigger releases rather than be overshadowed by them.

Also on the topic of Saints Row, one analyst asked how much the publisher was spending to port the open-world Xbox 360 gangbanger to the PlayStation 3. While THQ execs wouldn't put a dollar figure on the answer, one of them called the price to get the game to the PS3 "a fraction" of the original development cost, saying 15 percent was "not a bad guesstimate" on the cost of porting an Xbox 360 game to the PS3, or vice versa.

A couple things THQ has planned for both systems are in-game advertising and microtransactions. Specifically, THQ plans to put both into at least four games in its fiscal year 2008 (April 2007 through March 2008). So far, three games are confirmed to have them: the freshly named Stuntman Ignition, a new Juiced, and the next MX game. All told, the publisher expects to collect about $5 million from downloadable content and in-game advertising in the next fiscal year.

145 Comments

  • snipe2004

    Posted Apr 9, 2007 9:23 pm GMT

    x_cosmo_x In my opinion the only good games on the Playstation platform is the SOCOM series, God of War, and Metal Gear Solid!!!....other than that no need for Playstation 3!!!....Oh, also everyone knows that Guitar Hero 2 coming to the Xbox 360 thats all i and everyone else needs!!!

    so your telling me you would rather just play guitar hero 2 than socom god of war and metal gear solid? if thats all you need you must be one poor gamer. oh and dont forget Lair Warhawk Heavenly sword and Killzone 2. have fun with your guitar hero. hahaha

  • neo16161616

    Posted Apr 1, 2007 9:31 am GMT

    They must mean something else. Saying that is unholy

  • samad5

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 4:40 am GMT

    omgcracka ''did someone actually call Halo a trash franchise? No no no. they couldn't have... they probably meant to say Metal Gear or GTA or something..''

    Yeh, alright mate you keep dreaming.

  • blancobo

    Posted Feb 6, 2007 4:15 pm GMT

    So good to know that while we suffer the delay of a release, the publishers are merely avoiding a competition that could affect gamers and the stock market. I guess it is just one of the many rules us gamers have to learn to live with if we want to continue enjoying from our favorite games. There is no point in companies launching awesome games and having financial losses. In the end we will loose an opportunity for market diversification (variety) and most of all a good game. Gamers out there! - FYI - This is just another one of the rules of this industry that the quicker we accept the happier and less dissapointed we will be when delays occur, games are taken out of shelves etc.

  • BranKetra

    Posted Feb 6, 2007 9:34 am GMT

    There are advertisements in schools.....movies.....buses...walls....magazines...newspapers.....and now companies are moving in to invade the gaming industry. It's time to give these people the boot to the sky. I don't wanna be walking through Midgar and see a Pepsi sign. It takes out the immersion of the game. Games weren't meant to recreate life as it is, they were made to immerse oneself in another universe of sorts. Damn the Man and his friends.

    Oh yeah........I hope they do a lot more to the Stuntman series. It was a good game, but so much work could have made it great.

  • peeweeshift

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 5:51 pm GMT

    this proves that porting isn't that costly, it's just a companies lack of will, or an exclusivity that stops it from being ported

  • YourDaddy88

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 3:43 pm GMT

    This guy just proved that it's the developers fault for all the crap ports to the PS3, not the PS3 itself. All they do is spend the minimum amount to get the games working on multi-platforms, with the actual development going to the initially preferred platform. Good job devs!!!

  • kakashi_Itachi7

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 3:26 pm GMT

    dude omgcracka are stupid or what how did you even say they probably meant to say Metal Gear or GTA

  • omgcracka

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 3:20 pm GMT

    did someone actually call Halo a trash franchise? No no no. they couldn't have... they probably meant to say Metal Gear or GTA or something..

  • BIGboss600

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 2:07 pm GMT

    hold up wait stunt man is only on xbox360 o wait this is thq it will be on the ps3 soon but even then i wont get it because stunt man and juiced are shallow games to me

  • BIGboss600

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 2:06 pm GMT

    hold up wait stunt man is only on xbox360 o wait this is thq it will be on the ps3 soon but even then i wont get it because stunt man and juiced are shallow games to me

  • FiZiKz19

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 1:32 pm GMT

    I loved Saints Row Bring the next chapter!

  • MagusMaleficus

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 1:22 pm GMT

    I understand the thinking behind in-game advertising; but, I have to admit it's kind of annoying - depending on the game, of course. In a game like Fight Night Round 3, you'd expect that sort of thing, just as you would in real life (ever been to a Vegas fight, anyone?). I just hope this sort of thing doesn't get out of hand...

  • jknight5422

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 11:42 am GMT

    If I can get Saint's Row used & for a really cheap price, I might
    play it til GTA4 comes out..

  • go_commando_92

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 9:43 am GMT

    This game is brought to you by THQ
    no wait BURGERKING,DODGE AND NOKIA.
    OH WELL THERE ALL GUNNA BE RUBBISH £^) PORTS ANYWAY.

  • rijnie

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 9:14 am GMT

    DUDES RELAX, ITS JUST A CONSOLE, A CONSOLE, WE DONT ALL THAT STORYS FROM YOU DUDES THEY ONLY MAKE GAMES FOR IT, ONLY GAMES... SO CHILL OUT !!! THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS

  • Sheiko

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 7:20 am GMT

    Haha smart move but THQ is better then this.

  • dragonsama

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 6:34 am GMT

    Saints Row is fun and all but I think I'll just hold out for GTA4 which will be a beter game anyway.

  • Irve

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 6:06 am GMT

    micro transactions will be the death of gaming .. rushed limited titles given out as standard expecting you to purchase what should have been content for the original. Pah !!!

  • Sanguis_Malus

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 5:27 am GMT

    Micro-transactions, concentrate on putting out quality, value for money titles first or you can shove those micro-transactions up you're.............

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