THQ President Brian Farrell has cited Nintendo's successful first-party software as the reason their kids' portfolio did not meet expectations last quarter.
In a Q4 earnings call, Farrell said that Nintendo had made the kids' videogames market "extremely competitive" and that was why THQ's "traditionally strong kids' business did not meet expectations," according to casualgaming.biz.
"The kids' market was extremely competitive during fiscal '08. In fact, it was the most crowded market for videogames for kids in recent memory," he said.
"With a tough Pixar comparison to Cars [Ratatouille] and new competition from Nintendo's first-party titles - as well as new music games - our traditionally strong kids' business did not meet expectations."
"We believe our fiscal 2009 licensed kids' line-up is much stronger this year and will face a less crowded family movie slate than last year. This quarter we will begin launching games based on Wally, the next Disney Pixar film, which has a videogame-friendly robot and outer space theme."
I wouldn't be because THQ games are crap and lack gameplay would it? Now would i rather play Ratatouille with terrible controls or Super mario Galaxy with new ways of playing and brilliant control system.......hummm
"..... we will begin launching games based on Wally, the next Disney Pixar film, which has a videogame-friendly robot and outer space theme. These games will of course be hastily put together cynical cash ins, aimed at earning us just enough money to be able to move onto the next pointless movie licence.
This next pointless movie licence will of course be a hastily put together cynical cash in, aimed at earning us just enough money........."
Funniest s**t I have read this year, the bit were Wall-E is revealed as one of their projects practically guarantees that next year he'll be blaming Nintendo, R* or who ever for their short comings again. Try releasing good games first THQ then complain.
Agree completly. If they cant even get a spokesperson to get a name right of somthing they are selling, how does reflect on the integrity and value of the game.
Also paints a bad picture for the product and the company...this is somthing EA should be saying.
So yeah, like a couple of posters above me, make better games!!!
Nintendo have always done this, their games always sell better than third party titles, and not always by fair means either. It's one of the main reasons the Playstation did so well against Nintendo, they gave the third party developers what they needed, a level playing field, which is something Nintendo will never do.
I'm really sick of hearing third party developers, most of them not just THQ, complaining about it being so hard to compete with Nintendo's games on the Wii. Maybe if the majority of their games didn't suck, and suck hard, then they'd be doing better. They need to have a better policy than just using licenses to try and shift shovelware with poorly implemented motion controls.
Are we supposed to feel pity for THQ that Nintendo's games are so good and THQ's are less good? It's not really Nintendo's responsibility to ensure third party software sells, is it? On the other hand, Nintendo have been known to make things difficult for third parties (not saying that's necessarily the case anymore, though).
It's an age old argument. As long as Nintendo have made first party games, third party publishers have moaned that they can't compete...
Having produced shovelware by the s**tload (or is that s**t by the shovel-load?), they're complaining that other company's games are selling better? I wonder if their shareholders really are stupid enough to buy his excuse? *checks* Nope, think not.
In the days of cartridges, Nintendo and Sega had their ways of making sure their own games were "better" than the third party games. Nintendo could afford to use larger sized cartridges, as they made the things, and as they knew when all third party games were coming out, they could make sure there were no competing ones released at the same time. Sega did similar, and they were also accused of not releasing all the code/information for their consoles, making certain graphical techniques easier to do on their own games. It took EA to start making their own cartridges for their Sega games to bring this to light, and they had to go to court and fight it out with Sega too(EA won).
I'm gutted that THQ are unable to compete with Nintendo. I love all the kiddie crap they foist onto the Wii. Why would I want LoZ or Mario when I can have Spongebob Squares**te and the Dodgy Wii Controls of Bikini bottomhole.
Things must be getting bad if THQ can't even con kids into buying its mediocre games. Maybe they could launch a range of braille text based adventures, if they can't con blind people then they are basically screwed.
Nintendo have always done this, their games always sell better than third party titles, and not always by fair means either. It's one of the main reasons the Playstation did so well against Nintendo, they gave the third party developers what they needed, a level playing field, which is something Nintendo will never do.
I dought even doing that would help some devs. Just look at Capcom/Konami they both are 3rd party devs and yet have made some of the best games for the Wii.
More crap from a crap developer of crap games. And everyone in this thread has hit the nail on the head so I don't need to make a comment on these fools. Thanks all..
If you want more success, create better games instead of chunning out the same generic crap. Nintendo puts far more effort into their games and that's why they are more successful. The market might be very competitive but it's not Nintendo's fault for your decrease in sales, it's your lazy laid back attitude to games design that's to blame.
If you want more success, create better games instead of chunning out the same generic crap. Nintendo puts far more effort into their games and that's why they are more successful. The market might be very competitive but it's not Nintendo's fault for your decrease in sales, it's your lazy laid back attitude to games design that's to blame.
Well you can try to polish a turd...but all it does is smear and get all over you until you look like a turd.
You know maybe criminals should start blaming law abiding citizens for making them look like bad guys.
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