THQ Delays It's Next South Park, Metro & Company of Heroes Titles

[Hadrian]

The much suffering publisher THQ, today announced that it'll be delaying it's next set of "big" titles.

South Park: The Stick of Truth was to be released in March 2013, will now be released "end of fiscal year 2014"...South Parks fans may not need to worry, in none business speak that means April, June, July 2013.

Both Company of Heroes 2 and Metro: Last Light (the Wii U version of that was cancelled earlier this year) are now due to be released in March...though to be honest I expect one of those to get a delay what with THQ not doing so well and would want to maximise sales.

The reason for these delays are said to be so that they can increase the quality of the titles according to this long drawn out quote:

"When I joined THQ the company made a public commitment to quality titles. We always expected that in some cases this would mean that more time would be needed to make sure that every title is of the highest possible quality," said Jason Rubin, THQ's President. "Our fourth quarter releases are the first titles that I have had the ability to materially impact, and experience told me that the games needed additional development time to be market-ready.

"I believe South Park's market opportunity is significant. It is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated titles of calendar 2013. It is also an expansive title, encompassing multiple television seasons' worth of content. We have been working closely with the co-creators of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, to make sure all of the game's content performs to the high standards of the TV show, and this takes time. THQ is committed to giving gamers no less than the rich South Park game they have been waiting for and deserve.

"We are also inspired by the potential for Metro: Last Light and Company of Heroes 2. I believe Metro: Last Light is a title that should set standards for visuals with its stunning atmosphere, unique location and cutting-edge style. Company of Heroes was one of the highest rated RTS titles in history, and Relic insists that the sequel live up to its pedigree. Giving both of these titles time to reach their full potential is the right thing to do for the products.

"THQ is excited about our position and pipeline of games beyond fiscal 2013, including the sequel for Saints Row: The Third, Homefront 2 and the as-yet-unannounced game from Turtle Rock Studios. In total we have ten titles in development for fiscal 2014 and later, almost all of which are based on our own IP. We intend to announce more details about our future slate in the coming months.

"I firmly believe releasing our fourth quarter titles without extra time for polish in the current environment would lead to underperformance that could in turn lead to future additional capital shortfalls. But extending development schedules in order to make the best possible titles also has financial implications. Yet there can be no doubt which path has the greatest chance of leading to the long-term success of the company. We must follow the course that generates the highest quality games, and will establish THQ as a mark of quality for the consumer," concluded Rubin.

"Clearly, THQ faces a number of opportunities and challenges," added Brian Farrell, THQ's Chairman and CEO. "I am confident about the opportunities that lie in our robust slate of games and in our studios. But we also face challenges operating with limited capital resources in the highly competitive market for games, and we are working diligently to resolve those challenges."

THQ seem to be hanging by a thread, Darksiders II didn't do as well as they hoped and they're so desperate for a new Saints Row game that they're turning SR3 DLC into a full title! Can Company of Heroes 2...a game only for the PC and a sequel to a 2006 title that hardly anyone talks about nowadays be enough? What about Metro: Last Light...anyone even remotely looking forward to that and will buy that when there are other big named games around? Who can say, however the South Park game seems to be the game people are talking about and even then I don't really see that doing massive numbers.

March includes some very highly anticipated titles like the Tomb Raider reboot, Gears of War: Judgement, God of War: Ascension, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Sim City and possibly Pikmin 3 as well as that some gamers may be catching up on the previous months games like Sly Cooper, Dead Space 3, Metal Gear Rising, Aliens & Bioshock Infinite. Granted some of Marchs games are only on one platform, (but then so is Company of Heroes 2) they're still big enough for THQ games to be ignored.

2013 could potentially be their last year in business before they sell their franchises off. Quite a shame really, they used to be absolutely horrible but in the last ten years they've churned out some fantastic titles and have now gone against releasing shovelware (unlike big names like Ubisoft, EA & Activision who are still happy to release dire sloppy licensed titles).

http://kotaku.com/5957904/south-park-metro-last-light-company-of-heroes-2-all-delayed

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Only thing I'm really interested in is Stick of Truth, it's actually shaping up to be quite a good looking game. It has the creators involved, a solid dev, and a lot of care put into it. Actually one of my top games of 2013.

It's a shame it'll be a bit later but I can wait.

 

[Deleted_171835]

Yeah, THQ is dying. I'll be surprised if they're still here in 2014.

 

[Gahars]

Better delayed then dead, I guess. I'll give THQ credit for delaying the South Park game rather than rushing development to make a quick buck on the brand recognition.

In retrospect, pushing a game based around the Grim Reaper probably wasn't the best of omens for the struggling publisher.

 

[retKHAAAN]

Sad that Darksiders 2 didn't do better. It's a great game. As is UFC 3. The best fighting sim on the market. Can't say too much regarding any other titles though... Getting ready to play Metro 2033 in the next couple weeks though.

 

[Qtis]

Dawn of War. 'Nuff said. One of those games that actually had an interesting gameplay regardless of it's flaws (quite hard to conquer new territories after a few hundred rounds).

During the last few years, it seems that more and more gaming companies are having problems with actually making profit. Even though Angry Birds is a great way to pass time while waiting for the bus, I hate to think gaming is changing into similar games. Sometimes huge 100+ hours games just make it worth the wait.