Take-Two boss predicts imminent demise of THQ

Published Apr 6 2012, 12:04 BST  |  By Liam Martin

THQ "won't be around in six months", according to the CEO of Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two.

Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick suggested that THQ's strategy of making games around licensed properties is fatally flawed because it leaves publishers at the mercy of the license holders, both financially and creatively, reports JoyStiq.



"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," Zelnick told the crowd at a MIT Business in Gaming conference.

"And our approach, since we took over the company, is 100% owned intellectual property.

"The most important difference is quality. 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."

He concluded: "Strategy didn't work and the execution was bad. To put it another way: the food was no good and the portions were small. THQ won't be around in six months."

THQ recently cut upwards of 120 jobs from two different studios, following the repackaging of its planned Warhammer MMO as a single-player game with multiplayer elements.

The company revealed a net loss of $55.9 million (£35.4 million) for the three-month quarter ending December 31, 2011, while CEO Brian Farrell announced plans to halve his current salary.

> 'Darksiders 2, Metro: Last Light' lead THQ's future plans

Watch a trailer for upcoming THQ-published release Darksiders 2 below: