THQ Denies Cancelling its 2014 Lineup

This past weekend there was a big rumor on Twitter (courtesy of Kevin Dent, the head of the IGDA’s Mobile Specialist Interest Group) stating that TQH had cancelled its 2014 lineup and that the company was about to be sold. Additionally, it was said that a massively multiplayer online project based on the Warhammer 40k franchise (Warhammer 40k: Dark Millennium Online to be more precise) had also been cancelled. Despite all these rumors a THQ representative decided to refute them by stating that the company is really looking forward to sell video games in 2014 and that drastic measures regarding the aforementioned MMO project haven’t been made yet.


Here’s the full company statement:

“THQ has not cancelled its 2014 line-up, and has not made any decisions regarding the planned MMO. As part of the ongoing review of our business, we have made decisions to ensure that the company is strategically addressing the most attractive markets. As we have previously announced, we have dramatically reduced our commitment to the kids' boxed games sector which leads to a significantly more focused release schedule moving forward. Our slate for calendar 2012 and beyond is focused on high-quality core games and continues to build our digital platform and business. We are excited for our pipeline of original and high-quality content along with our relationships with some of the best talent in the industry.

Additionally, we are thrilled with the great performance of Saints Row: The Third, which on a like for like period in North America has tripled in sell-through from Saints Row 2. In addition, WWE '12's worldwide sell-through sales are up almost 40% year-over-year for the same sales period with fewer platforms. According to NPD, for the month of December and the 2011 year, THQ was the #5 publisher overall, #4 third party, with reported sell through growing over 18% in a market that was down almost 6%. And coming up next, we have two great titles for the first half of the year including UFC Undisputed 3 and Darksiders 2”.

Prior to the official statement, it was quite difficult to prove the veracity of this story. On the one hand, Kevin Dent is usually a well-informed and trustworthy source (though it should be noted he said this was a rumor from the beginning, not a very solid one, but a rumor indeed.) On the other hand, 2011 was a very good year for THQ: Saints Row: The Third sold quite well, a sequel was announced and this year the company is planning to release a new WWE game, Darksiders II and Metro: Last Light.

Finally and regarding the statement, THQ clearly explains that they is going to be a 2014 lineup of games, but the future of Dark Millennium is quite uncertain at this point. But enough of rumors and speculations, I think we have had enough of those.

Source: GiantBomb