Launching a new IP is always a risk, but THQ was more than optimistic about its chances with Darksiders. The publisher pushed the new property with a big marketing campaign, and THQ's EVP of Core Games, Danny Bilson, previously told IndustryGamers that the game benefited from the post-holiday release timing. The new action game was actually received quite well critically (an 83 on Metacritic), but whether it'll have the commercial success to match is not yet clear.
In advance of THQ's Q3 earnings report, Signal Hill Capital analyst Todd Greenwald said that he believes Darksiders "didn't perform up to THQ's expectations, likely selling less than 1 million units despite heavy marketing dollars [and] 2-3 years of development costs." He added that the game was "subject to discounting just 2 weeks after its release."
Despite's Bilson's assertion that the post-holiday release was a good thing for Darksiders, we'd imagine that being part of a Q1 as stacked as this year's has been isn't helping matters.
Greenwald said that it will be "another tough quarter" for THQ, thanks in part to a year-over-year comparison with Saints Row 2, "as well as weak sales and heavy discounting for WWE, MX vs. ATV Reflex, and numerous Wii titles." Overall, he expects THQ to post sales of $347 million and earnings per share of $0.40.
4 Comments
7 months ago
If a well-reviewed GoW clone can't sell well, what does this mean for Dante's Inferno?
Are buyers just waiting for GoW3? Or maybe THQ didn't market Darksiders properly?
With two more nearly identical games coming out in the next 2 months, it should be interesting to see who comes out on top.
7 months ago
This analyst's "beliefs" and "most likely" statements are BS and nothing but speculation. The game has been out for a month now. I don't see it being marked down. This guy is an idiot.
7 months ago
Darksiders is an interesting case – many have called it a God of War clone, but in some ways its much closer to the Legend of Zelda series. It could be that action games fans weren't as fond of all the puzzle stuff and fans of adventure games didn't appreciate the heavy emphasis on action. An odd title (what does “Darksiders” really say about the game, anyway?) probably didn't help.
I'd expect Dante's Inferno to do better – it cops closer to the God of War formula so I think consumers will understand where its coming from better.
6 months ago
two more nearly identical games coming out in the next 2 months, it should be interesting to see who comes out on top.
digital camera memory cards
Post a Comment
Login With IndustryGamers
Create an account, it literally takes like 5 seconds and you'll never have to do it again.
Login / Register
Login With Facebook
Have a Facebook account? Just hit the button and you can comment on our site!