Ooohhh, the casual market this, the casual market that. Wii games, iPhone games, flash games, it's all you ever here about these days. Well, THQ are having none of it.
While every other major publisher on the planet, from Nintendo to Activision to EA are all clamouring to get a piece of this mythical, limitless casual market, THQ believe (Big Beach Sports aside) a different course of action is required.
Speaking at Wedbush Morgan Securities' annual conference earlier today, THQ boss Brian Farrell said:
We've been in this business a long time. [We've had] 13 years of profitable growth in a row... a return to profitability is top of mind to us. How? With the core gamers, it's matter of focus... fewer but higher-quality core.
As an example, Farrell reminds us that the first Dawn of War was only released on PC (no cash-printing console ports), yet has still gone on to sell over four million copies. Throw in THQ's (and by THQ, we mean flagship developer Relic's) other key franchises, Company of Heroes and the recently-purchased Homeworld rights, and that's one hell of a high-quality core.
THQ's Farrell Aims For Core Market [Gamasutra]