None
It’s safe to say that THQ has seen better days financially. In the past few years, the developer has been forced to close several of its subsidiary companies due to a shift in focus or a lack of funding. Well, yesterday Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of rival developer Take-Two Interactive, weighed in on THQ’s woes, and he wasn’t exactly complimentary. “THQ’s strategy was licensed properties, first and foremost. License stuff from other people, whether it’s UFC or WWE or a motion picture property, and make a game around that,” said Zelnick at the MIT Business in Gaming Conference yesterday. And, according to Take-Two’s CEO, while this strategy can often be an easy way to make some quick cash, it relies on lower profit margins and fast turnaround time, both of which mean that quality suffers. Zelnick went on to compare his own company with THQ: “The most important difference is quality,” he said. “Take-Two has the highest quality ratings among third-party publishers, according to Metacritic and most people in the industry. Quality really, really, really matters. THQ has had some good games, but their quality levels aren’t even remotely … the quality hasn’t measured up.” At the end of his conversation, Zelnick criticized THQ’s strategy further by adding “THQ won’t be around in six months.” 
And, while this response is obviously entertaining, it wouldn’t nearly as effective as a high-quality original intellectual property. Think about it, THQ. By Josh Engen |