Yesterday, it was rumored that THQ was cancelling their 2014 video game lineup and possibly putting itself up for sale. Included in this rumor was that THQ would end its development of major MMO, Warhammer 40K: Dark Millenium Online. This came from the trusty industry analyst Peter Skerritt, who posted the rumor on his Twitter page.
With Twitter obviously being the most trusted source on the internet, news of THQ cancelling their lineup spread from media outlet to media outlet – despite Skerritt warning it was only a rumor. Given THQ's poor sales in 2011, it was quite possible that this could be true.
Alas, THQ has finally responded, assuring fans they are not cancelling their entire 2014 lineup and confirming that the rumors were just that – rumors.
This morning, THQ released a batch statement confirming that the rumors were false.
“THQ has not canceled its 2014 line-up, and has not made any decisions regarding the planned MMO," the statement announced.
"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."
Moving forward, THQ promised to dramatically reduce their commitment to the kids' boxed games sector.
"Our slate for calendar 2012 and beyond is focused on high-quality core games and continues to build our digital platform and business," the statement continued. "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."
In addition to denying these rumors, THQ pointed to the recent successes they've had, most notably with Saints Row: The Third and WWE '12.
"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.
The statement also reported, "According to NPD, for the month of December and the 2011 year, THQ was the number five publisher overall, number four third party, with reported sell-through growing over 18 percent in a market that was down almost 6 percent. And coming up next, we have two great titles for the first half of the year including UFC Undisputed 3 and Darksiders 2."
So what did we learn from all of this? Analysts are usually wrong and don't believe every rumor you hear.
