THQ moving away from 'kids licensed entertainment;' Saints Row: The Third ships 3.8 million

by Ben Gilbert on Jan 25th 2012 8:40AM

In the wake of a rumor that THQ had relinquished a publishing deal with Disney for a variety of children's properties, the ailing publisher released a statement this morning renewing its focus on "core game franchises" over "traditional kids' licensed video games." The company will also be focusing on "digital initiatives" going forward, though we're not sure how that'll be possible after the closure of THQ's digital studio in the UK.

The release specifically cites UFC, Darksiders, Company of Heroes, Insane, Saints Row, Warhammer 40K, and Patrice Desilets' currently-in-production project as "key franchises" for the company going forward, and promises more information will be offered on next thursday's financial call.

Alongside news of the realignment, THQ announced that 3.8 million copies of its latest release, Saints Row: The Third, have shipped to retail since launch in November 2011. The publisher expects lifetimes sales to reach between five and six million units, and believes that its season pass plan will help that play out.

3.8 million copies means there are quite a few large purple dildo bats out in the wild, folks, but will it be enough to keep THQ going after a major miss with the uDraw Tablet and a rough past few years? That remains to be seen.

Source: THQ

Tags: microsoft, pc, playstation, ps3, saints-row-the-third, sales, thq, volition, volition-inc, xbox

Reader Comments (30)

Great for Volition! I'm glad we won't see another THQ studio shuttered like all too many were last year.

I don't know how other content is being distributed for other season pass games like Gears of War 3. But right now the offer of Genki Bowl isn't enough for me to want to get the pass.

I know with time the content will come but right now I'm saving my points for other potential buys. I do intend to get the pass though.

@Jimjamyaha
If you intend to get the pass, then whats the difference if you get it now or then? Lol. Makes no sense.

@Jimjamyaha

what a bizarre post

@Jimjamyaha

Not really, while both ends lead to me getting all the DLC eventually. I'd rather get the season pass knowing the DLC was coming soon thus being worth more value now as I have the content to download rather than wait for it.

While the season pass will always have the same MS Points worth. Those points could be spent better on content which is actually available now.

If you think about that logic, it actually makes sense.

I am fully prepared to throw money at a new CoH game.

Jesus, Conrad, tie your f***ing laces!

It took THQ this long to realize that it takes more than a kid focused license to sell games? That money stream left some years ago when 9 year olds started playing Call of Duty as their first game.

@Lerkero Funny you say that - My nephew was playing Black Ops when he was five (he'll be six in March). Nothing is more ego dampening than when a five year old continously shoots you in the back of the head, then turns to you, cups your face in his chubby little hands, and says "You really suck at this. I'll ask my daddy if you can take this game home and practice."

The closest he's come to "kid" games is Sonic the Hedgehog. Which I also suck at.

@Adorialea

Your nephew sounds hilarious!

I don't see why people love this immature sexual innuendo crap so much. Basically Saints Row 3 looks like a game I would thoroughly enjoy, but the giant Dildos, sex, nudity, and "whored" mode just sounds sickening. They could have made the same epic game with the giant hovering planes, crazy skydiving, smashing through penthouses, etc. but left out 90% or the sexual crap and the game would have sold to a wider audience.

@Warlock234
honestly this game is great, feels more like GTA than what GTA has become.

@Warlock234

Glad to see mass media it doing its job. Unapologetically over the top violence? No problemo! A couple of sex jokes here and there? BOOOOO! Torches and pitchforks!

@Warlock234

i agree. I have zero interest in this game. It is a big joke, not a game.

@ChaseHammerJ

It's too bad you can't handle a little racy humor then, because it's a great game, one of the best from last year. Your loss.

@Warlock234

It is pure fun, I love the game and everyone has a bit of immature child left in them they need to get out. You can't very well let those nagging, "That's what she said" jokes out in a workplace but Saints Row 3 serves a purpose in the market. I thoroughly enjoyed the heavy parody and over-the-top humor. I hadn't laughed so hard in a video game in my life (this was in co-op). The game can wear a little thin if you play alone but with a like-minded friend it is ENDLESS hours of fun.

@Warlock234

Sexual Crap? If you ask me we need more sexual crap in games. Keep you silly bible thumpers away. Breast Physics FTW!

@Warlock234
I got news for you, idiot (no better word for your current mental state)

GTA had sex in it. Several times. Some noises outside of a building and some hookups in a club bathroom... Among others. GTA had a man's uncensored dick in it. GTA has about as much sexual innuendo, if not more, as Saints Row.

What GTA doesn't have is a giant dildo to smack people around with and a whored mode which if you played, you'd know what it actually was.

So, yeah. Shut up. Play the game and hate yourself for enjoying it. Since you seem to be the self-loathing type.

@Mmmmz
Guess what bud, I wasn't calling anyone an idiot, so I don't see why you have to call me one. It seems you are implying that I have played GTA and expressed that I liked it, well the fact is I don't play GTA (although I have played GTA 3 briefly) nor have I played any Saints Row. The gameplay I have seen from Saints Row 3 has really hooked me though, and it looks like a game I would really love, and although I'm what you might call a hardcore gamer (I play Battlefield, CoD, and Halo primarily) I don't agree with the stuff Saints Row is doing (not comparing it to GTA). I don't want to see giant dildos in a video game, nor do I want to beat whores to death or have to look at another man's dick. Sex scenes that basically just establish that 2 characters had sex just through audio is good enough for me. Games like Red Dead Redemption have sex, but it's not a ton of innuendos just to please a bunch of virgins that never get out of their basement. Life is for sex, video games are for fun.

@MayorMikeHaggar

Agreed 100%. I understand it can be a little crass, and I had reservations, but it's a *fantastic* game!

@Warlock234

"Life is for sex, video games are for fun."

And never the twain shall meet, apparently.

@Warlock234

Playing Battlefield, CoD and Halo primarily does not make you a hardcore gamer.

Good for THQ! I'm glad their big betting finally paid off. They bet big with Red Faction, Homefront, etc etc and finally struck gold with Saints Row 3. But it was their own damn fault Armageddon did so poorly, they should have stuck with the geurilla style above-ground game.

I expect great things from the Homefront ip though, shame it didn't come together originally because the premise was awesome.

There is a difference between shipped and sold. Saints Row 3 probably would have sold better if they waited ti'll January to put it out instead of the completely packed month of November.

@biskits
While this is true if they shipped 3.8 mil there's a safebet that atleast 50% of those were sales. Not only that there is also the unknown ammount (which they can't legally say to anyone even their shareholders) sold from STEAM during their $30 day

@The Aquacharger
Fair point, I agree. My main point was that this January has been pretty much void of game releases. Saints Row 3 could have had entire month to it self. Instead of having compete with Modern Warefare 3 and Uncharted 3. We have seen many companies push their games out of the busy holiday season, to allow for more breathing room and better initial sells.

@biskits

No there isn't, when they ship the units someone buys them, the retailers buy them. So THQ has made their money. They don't care if the retailer can't push units off the shelves. The fact that so many copies were ordered proves the game sold well in stores, obviously they had to restock several times.

@Anticrawl
AH! You are right, my apologies. I did some research on shipped versus sold, and you are indeed correct. THQ made their money. Shipped means sold to retailers and sold means sold to the consumer from retailers. However, I still believe had the game launched in a less crowded month it would have fared even better.

THQ don't forget Metro.

Waah Waah, THQ is taking away all my Spongebob Squarepants games. I may have to go play outside now.

Created a Joystiq account just to say how much I enjoy Saints Row The Third. :) It's everything GTA should have been! All the unlockables -- gang, vehicle, crib, weapon, etc -- give you even morereason to keep playing!

I found myself thinking "I hope this game never ends."

The light-hearted and over-the-top antics make it even more fun. I'm glad the game studio was willing to take a chance.

THQ you've won my heart forevar. ^___^ Keep the Saints Row games coming!

One thing though... Saints Row radio sucks compared to GTA radio. Not as many funny talk shows. Also, I wish there were more pedestrian voice acting and more stuff to upgrade. It was interesting hearing one of my gang member posse saying "You call it motion-controlled gaming, I call it allowing government surveilance in your living room." ... Awesome.

End rant.

Sorry, you must be logged in to leave a comment.

Breaking News

The most popular posts
in the last 7 days

Rumor: Japanese Vita devs jumping ship, Sony responds 124 comments
Buy 2 get 1 free on select Vita games at GameStop starting today 114 comments
Sony's Rohde: proprietary Vita cards 'completely necessary' to combat piracy 112 comments
Sony: Call of Duty blasting onto Vita this fall 89 comments
Asura's Wrath review: Wrecking the curve 84 comments

Saints Row: The Third

THQ moving away from 'kids licensed entertainment;' Saints Row: The Third ships 3.8 million

Reader Comments (30)

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 8:44AM baby sea tuna said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 8:49AM Jimjamyaha said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 9:50AM BanMeAgain said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 11:15AM eat it said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 11:24AM Jimjamyaha said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 8:52AM TRONdll said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 9:15AM Lerkero said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 9:29AM Adorialea said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 4:49PM ployer said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 9:34AM Warlock234 said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 10:16AM Roxas560 said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 10:23AM baby sea tuna said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 10:27AM ChaseHammerJ said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 10:42AM MayorMikeHaggar said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 11:01AM Anticrawl said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 11:06AM Dirty said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 12:24PM Mmmmz said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 1:14PM Warlock234 said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 4:01PM Brian Griffin said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 4:02PM Brian Griffin said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 6:18PM This Little Man Says His Name Is said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 10:59AM Anticrawl said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 11:08AM biskits said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 12:48PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 2:38PM biskits said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 3:59PM Anticrawl said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 5:31PM biskits said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 1:16PM Slight of Ham said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 3:46PM rajendra82 said

Posted: Jan 25th 2012 5:15PM Fruity Pebbles said

Saints Row: The Third Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is the next title from Frictional Games and Dear Esther dev

Featured Stories

Building A Machine for Pigs and expanding the universe of Amnesia

Persona 3, Tactics Ogre, and other PSP RPGs that will live on my Vita

Tekken 3D Prime Edition review: Far from prime edition

The most popular postsin the last 7 days

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW

The most popular posts
in the last 7 days