THQ stock drops 25 percent in one day on Homefront launch

by Mike Schramm on Mar 15th 2011 11:10PM

"If THQ can come up with a couple of franchises that sell well, that's a much clearer path to profitability and a higher stock price." -- Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets

"75" -- Metacritic score for Homefront, the most pre-ordered title in THQ's history

"This score is a bit of a disaster for THQ and the share price today is reflecting that." -- Mike Hickey of Janco Partners

Source: Gamasutra, LA Times

Tags: homefront, kaos-studios, microsoft, playstation, ps3, thq, xbox

Reader Comments (121)

With that score of 75 it probably made the most canceled pre-orders in THQ history

@Mika101
that's what i was thinking too. while i'm sad for the inevitable lay-offs- i can't help but be a little pleased when i see a "modern warfare" FPS game get canned by critics and ignored by consumers. between Red Faction, Darksiders, Metro 2033, and Saint's Row- THQ has a nice little stable of high-quality and diverse franchises to satisfy a large (and growing) fan base. i would have been sad to see this lame-looking game become their newest hit. let's let EA and Activision fight it out over military shooters, while the rest of the industry continues to innovate with interesting and creative new titles. at least, that's how i feel.

@laser beams

Like there wouldn't be layoffs if it was a big hit...game devs are management cannon fodder.

@laser beams that seems like a strange way to think about it, being happy that the game was bad, or happy that EA and Activision are making an entire genre bad. Shouldn't we want Homefront to have been the best experience it could have? Instead of condemning all military shooters, shouldn't you want them to break out of their relative staleness and be truly unique and enjoyable, live up to the fullest potential?

@TheDarkWayne

How is EA ruining the genre. MoH had it's issues sure, but it wasn't a failure, and battlefield goes from strength to strength.

@TheDarkWayne
Indeed. I actually bought the game because it sounded interesting to me, and I haven't bought a military-based FPS since like...MOH: Rising Sun for the GameCube.
I haven't actually played it yet, but I hope I enjoy it more than a lot of the reviewers have.

@cantwait2bhome - I'm pretty sure that the damage is already done in terms of Homefront's sales, though. Sure, there might be more canceled preorders than one can shake a stick at, but I know that I've seen time and time again that a marketing campaign as completely overblown as Homefront's (especially when it's marketing a game in a relatively popular/disposable genre) seems to always bring in good numbers. Need I remind everyone that Dante's Inferno sold many, many copies?

@Mika101

I canceled my preorder back when they started employing those idiotic and not well thought out marketing campaigns. Glad to see I don't have to regret it. I added it to my rental queue, so I'll get to play it at some point either way.

@MatthewBlackwell
I bought and enjoyed Dante's Inferno. Sure I didn't care for it's advertising, but didn't stop the game from being fun.

@Mika101

I knew this game would be a disaster for THQ when they started talking about putting a baby in a dumpster and defending it.

I could not bring myself to think of it as anything more than a joke at that point.

my little brother bought it... to my dismay.

@BrianH

he seemed to like it a bit though, but he didn't look very pleased

@BrianH

You don't have to talk to yourself.

We can ignore your comments without double entries.

@Wiizer

lolumad?

Came out on PC as well.

Wow. Is 75 a terrible score now? Because I thought 75 is actually pretty good.

@Uncle Jesse

Unfortunately, THQ couldn't pay the fees to get that 15-20 point buffer that Activision gets from its reviewers.

@Uncle Jesse - We live in a 70-100 world. 75 is quite low on that scale, and sales have shown time and time again that you can't hit critical mass (where the game just keeps selling) with a game in the 70-85 range. After the pre-orders are tallied (those that actually convert to sales, which will certainly be less after the 75 metacritic rating) the game will drop off the face of the Earth, and it may not become profitable.

With so much on the line (25% on one bum game is enormous) you've got to make sure that every release is a home run. It's sad, but there isn't a whole lot of room in the current marketplace for a 75/100.

@Uncle Jesse

There is a lot riding on the success of this game, a bit too much I'd say.

Kaos & THQ had most, if not all of their eggs in one basket with this one.

THQ will remain strong though, DoW Retribution was recently released and telling by Steam's figures for active players it looks like its doing pretty well, plus I think Red Faction is coming out this year if I'm not mistaken.

Anyway, despite bad reviews, if the game managed to sell a million in its first month then Kaos might stay alive.

@Uncle Jesse

Unfortunately, no website or magazine seems to use their full scale in fear of upsetting publishers too much. So, for years now, it's been a silent rule that 1-10 scales actually are 6-10 where a 7.5 (or 75%) equate a 50% for most buyers.

@BoBsS

I agree, I think it actually sold well, and this is just a knee-jerk reaction by investors.

In the long run, I bet you it will have sold well. It's a FPS... people buy that crap no matter what.

@Uncle Jesse

Yeah, I remember when:

@Mmmmz
So... if I put a colon in my post joystiq freaks out?

That's great:

@Uncle Jesse 75 isn't good enough for a lot of people when time is a commodity and games are $60.

@Wiizer agreed. the stock market is all about panic. those traders are all whiny little bitches. it'll go back up easily as more games are sold, and yes, it will sell well. FPS and marketing will do it just fine. not blops numbers, but it'll hold it's own.

@(Unverified)

for me its;

6 = ignore,
7 and 8 are buy when cheap ($40 and below),
9 and 10 are buy when I can.

@Lucky48
I think no matter what the game it boils to personal tastes. Ilove many games that didn't score very high and a few i hated despite a nine or ten score out of ten.

@radicoon

I think this is doubly true in an era with terrific $10-$20 games. I've been freaking out on Torchlight since it was released on XBLA. Why should I risk spending $60 on a game that I might not enjoy when I can spend that much and get 3-5 games.

@Uncle Jesse

The cutoff point is at 90+ for the cheap scrubs who don't want to pay anything for games.

@Uncle Jesse

I see where you're coming from, although I'll have to put my guilty hand up and say that what's typically* representative of a 75 review isn't good enough for me to spend $60.

For $35 though? Sure, I might have the spare time and money to give it a shot

* this does vary slightly of course, based on my own preferences and hands on time

@Uncle Jesse Crytek said people need tobe getting 90s to be doing well.

@Mmmmz
joystiq want nothing to do with your colon.....

@Uncle Jesse think of game reviews like restaurant cleanliness scores. 75 is bad.

@kentuckyfried

You may not have heard but there's a recession and, while I would like to, I can't buy anything that isn't guarantied to be incredible. I really wanted to buy DA2 but I can't risk the $60. It might not seem like a lot of money, but to most people right now it is.

@Wiizer

Specifically: Infinity Ward gets the payola reviews. Case in point, MW2.

@Uncle Jesse
The real shame of it is, unlike movie reviews, the majority of game reviewers (on the major websites) all seem to have about the same scores with the same pros and cons for the AAA release titles. Do they read each other's reviews? Check it out sometime on Metacritic. You will find that the tiny indie sites have review scores all over the map, but the majors usually fall very closely to each other. I don't have much interest in Homefront, but it's something I've noticed so much over the years.

Homefront Reviews:
GameSpot = 7
IGN = 7
GamesRadar = 7
GameInformer = 7
1UP = B- = 67
G4tv = 3 out of 5

Anyone else notice this? At least Joystiq and Destructoid don't seem to jump on the bandwagon.

@airtoast
How is a B- a 67? A C is supposed to bein the 70's (A C- is supposed to be anywhere from 70-74) and a B is supposed to be in the 80's. Are we now forgetting that C,D, and F exist? I mean if a b- is a 67 then what's an A-? a 77?

@The Aquacharger
Remember when I said to check Metacritic? Do that. They have 1UP listed as a 67 for Homefront.

@airtoast
I'm not saying you're the one who messed up, I'm just saying in general. Metacritic should learn a gradescale. Sorry if it sounded like it was directed directly at you, instead of the reviewing score.

What happened to this game? It went from being edgy to BLEH.

@Gooblechev
Too much hype
Too expensive (only a handful of games are worth their full retail value)
No Demo

All this is a bad recipe. That's why I never preorder games. The only game I've preordered in about 3 years now is Portal 2.

@JIAGPOS

Uncharted 3, Infamous 2 = my only preorders since Gears 2. Only preordered that cause I was there at the counter, blockbuster asked.. and I was afraid i'd be broke my Gears 2 launch. xD

@Faenix
So $5 keeps you in line? Or does Block Buster preorder cost more?

To be fair one of the reasons I never preorder is b/c I shop at a PX and there is no tax and it's video game sales are a lot less than Gamestop. You can go in on a video game launch day and they haven't hardly sold anything by noon. So a $60 game is like $5 tax savings.

@Gooblechev

It seems they probably knew it was a subpar game so they spend big bucks to market and super hype it. In the end tho it usually doesn't bold well. Look at Haze and (can't even remember the name of the other game I was thinking).

@JIAGPOS

Its called I paid for it all, duh?

@KinseySS Lair?

Ouch

If only all company's stock would drop with the release of their mediocre FPS entries into the gaming industry...

Seriously, FPS's need to take a break. Maybe Duke Nukem will be the nail in the coffin.

@Wiizer

Only because no other FPS after it will be as good, so yes, Duke will be the nail in the coffin.

Blame the balloons.

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Homefront Info

Description

The year is 2027. The world as we know it is unraveling after fifteen years of economic meltdown and widespread global conflict over dwindling natural resources. A once proud America has fallen, her infrastructure shattered and military in disarray. Crippled by a devastating EMP strike, the USA is powerless to resist the ever expanding occupation of a savage, nuclear armed Greater Korean Republic. Abandoned by her former allies, the United States is a bleak landscape of walled towns and abandoned suburbs. This is a police state where high school stadiums have become detention centers, and shopping malls shelter armored attack vehicles. A once-free people are now prisoners, or collaborators,or revolutionaries. Join the Resistance, stand united and fight for freedom against an overwhelming military force in Homefront's gripping single player campaign penned by John Milius (Apocalypse Now, Red Dawn). Stand alongside a cast of memorable characters as an emotional plot unfolds in this terrifyingly plausible near-future world. Experience visceral, cinematic first-person shooter action as you fight your way across Occupied USA using guerrilla tactics, and commandeer military vehicles and advanced drone technology to defeat the enemy. Multiplayer brings epic warfare to the online arena as infantry, tanks, attack helicopters and combat drones battle across huge, open battlefields. A rich feature set offering layers of tactical depth combined with a game-changing innovation in the multiplayer space will set a new benchmark in online warfare.

Homefront

THQ stock drops 25 percent in one day on Homefront launch

Reader Comments (121)

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:13PM Mika101 said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:58PM laser beams said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 1:33AM satn said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 2:40AM TheDarkWayne said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 3:38AM This Little Man Says His Name Is said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 8:34AM cantwait2bhome said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 9:49AM MatthewBlackwell said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 1:26PM WMcPete said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:56PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Mar 17th 2011 12:01PM LaurenIsSoMosh said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:15PM BrianH said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:23PM BrianH said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:27PM Wiizer said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:31PM BrianH said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:16PM Assmar said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:17PM Uncle Jesse said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:25PM Wiizer said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:33PM BananaBoat said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:34PM BoBsS said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:35PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:40PM Wiizer said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:42PM Mmmmz said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:44PM Mmmmz said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:44PM radicoon said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:46PM ravissimo said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 12:01AM Faenix said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 12:35AM Bewoulf said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 1:34AM Courtney said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 1:48AM kentuckyfried said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 2:05AM Crayola Q Pants ESQ said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:29AM LEONLEONLEON said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 9:04AM Protege420 said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 9:26AM Jack Kevorkian said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 9:32AM NotEvenHere said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 9:39AM Brian Griffin said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 12:39PM airtoast said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:55PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:14PM airtoast said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:18PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:19PM Gooblechev said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:34PM JIAGPOS said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 12:03AM Faenix said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 12:08AM JIAGPOS said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 12:14AM KinseySS said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 3:17AM Faenix said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 7:00AM KenobiEagle said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:23PM The Cole Train said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:23PM Wiizer said

Posted: Mar 16th 2011 8:33AM Foetoid said

Posted: Mar 15th 2011 11:27PM Martyrdom said

Homefront Info

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