THQ has been down on the mat of late. The game publisher recently laid off about 240 employees and completely exited the kids videogame market (a business that the company was originally built upon) as part of a restructuring. CEO Brian Farrell saw his salary cut from $718,500 to $359,250 as part of the changes. And the company faces delisting on NASDAQ if its stock doesn’t improve. But things are looking up for the game maker.
One of the franchises that THQ is focusing on moving forward is UFC. As Ultimate Fighting Championship has exploded into the mainstream over the past few years, THQ has been able to ride that success with four games. UFC Undisputed 3 is the latest offering, and it’s been receiving rave reviews from gaming sites (earning an 86 for Xbox 360 and 87 for PlayStation 3 on Metacritic.com).
KeenGamer: "UFC Undisputed 3 is still the best MMA game ever made. Why is it that a game with an outdated roster and PS3 graphics still holds a special place in the hearts of so many players? Let's take a look at the major differences between THQ and EA's approach to MMA gaming."
Alex & Mike talk Biomutant, a game from Experiment 101/THQ Nordiq you likely have not heard of. While the AAA side of the industry tends to homogenization and imitative, cinematic presentation, “AA” games remain creative and innovative in 2021. Drawing on inspirations as varied as Dark Souls, third person shooters & kung fu cinema, Biomutant is Ratchet & Clank on acid, developed by a team of 20 people.
Remember THQ? They published such games as Avatar: The Last Airbender, Darksiders I & II, the Destroy All Humans series, Homefront, the Red Faction series, and Saint's Row 1-3. Almost as famous as their games were the THQ marketing stunts, including a Golden Wii.
After WWE12 i will not touch another THQ combat game this gen. Im glad to hear they did make a good game though.
Good to see someone trying with sports games.