THQ turns over a new leaf; abandons cross-platform strategy (News)

Eugene Huang, GamePro

19/04/2007 15:50:55

In a recent interview, THQ CEO Brian Farrell outlines his company's forward-looking strategy, gives his take on the next-gen console wars, and claims that cross-platform titles will no longer be their focus.

Despite an extensive history of developing licensed games based on established IP for nearly all console and handheld platforms, THQ CEO Brian Farrell stated in a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz that his company is looking to develop games that will be planned and released for only one console.

But can you really teach an old dog new tricks? Farrell seems to be betting his company on it, even if current trends dictate that third party exclusives are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Still, Farrell sees things a little differently, and justifies his company's decision to buck the trend by offering his opinion that each console in this generation offers something different.

"I don't mean to over-simplify this," he states, "but in the past a lot of publishers -- including us -- would say, 'Okay, let's make a game and get it across every system.' That's not our strategy going forward; there are going to be different gamers for the different systems. So our strategy is different types of content, segmented on who the users of the systems are."

At this point, Farrell claims that he can't predict who will come out on top in this next-gen console war.

"It's clear that you've got three well capitalized competitors who are not going to go quietly into the night, which for a games publisher is nirvana," he admits. "Microsoft has the early lead with the core gamer; Sony's ramping up quickly, particularly in Europe, where trying to erode Sony's market leadership is going to be very difficult."

As for the Wii, Farrell states that its low price point gives it a particularly good chance to end up with the largest user base, but that may not necessarily turn out to be the case when the war is over. In any case, he claims that his company is currently more aggressive in developing for the Wii, when taking into account its partnerships with Pixar, Nickelodeon, and WWE. However, although THQ's future projects will most likely appear on the Wii more than on any other platform, Farrell still believes that his company will profit equally on all three next-gen systems in terms of revenue.

"As we look out and re-forecast, it looks like a three-way split," Farrell predicts. "I don't mean to be politically correct here, but that's not a bad way to be thinking about it. Something could change tomorrow, but it's going to be a really interesting race. I can't remember when three platforms co-existed like this."