Get your facts straight on when THQ's big titles are hitting.
THQ hosted one of those gripping investor conference calls the other afternoon, revealing all sorts of numbers for analysts and stockholders to... enjoy at their leisure. The publisher also used the event to talk about a bunch of release dates and windows, which just so happens to be of major interest to us as dudes who like to actually play video games. Here’s a rundown of the bigger news on this front.
Don’t go looking for Homefront on March 8 as previously announced; it won’t be at stores. During the call, president and CEO of the publisher, Brian Farrell, announced that the shooter’s release date has been pushed to March 15 from its original March 8, 2011 date.
Farrell and THQ haven’t cited a specific reason for the delay, but the “we think we have a great opportunity to dominate retail on this date” statement given to Joystiq after the call makes a whole lot more sense when you consider that Homefront is no longer launching against Dragon Age II, a new sequel in an established franchise. Different audiences, sure, but there's some crossover.
This delay affects all three versions of Homefront, so expect the PC, Xbox 360, and the PS3 version of the shooter to all hit on March 15. Of course, the 360 version will still get all the DLC exclusively first.
Want more Saints Row action? You’ll get some in 2011 if plans hold. During the call, it was revealed that Saints Row 3 will hit later this Fall 2011, though no other specifics about the follow-up to the goofy open-world shooter were discussed.
"In the Fall, we plan to launch the latest installment of our Saints Row franchise, which we view as a significant growth driver in fiscal 2012,” Farell revealed, adding, "[Developer] Volition is setting a new bar for this outstanding franchise and we look forward to unveiling this game in the near future."
Saints Row 2, a huge improvement over the original entry in the fledgling franchise, hit in 2008 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PS3 back in 2008. It's speculative at this point, but I doubt any of these three platforms will be excluded from receiving Saints Row 3.
Here's the first bummer of the call: as was speculated after the sudden announcement of the Company of Heroes Online beta closing, the promising free-to-play strategy game was confirmed to be canned during the call, according to VG247. WWE Online has met the same fate, too.
DARKSIDERS 2, INSANE, WARHAMMER 40K MMO, AND THE DEVIL'S THIRD According to the call, Vigil Games' Darksiders 2 and its Warhammer 40K MMO are scheduled to hit at some point in FY 2013, meaning we should see them somewhere between April 12, 2011 and March 2013.
The Devil's Third has this same vague release window as well. Oh, and Guillermo del Toro's inSANE? That game is still slated for a release in calendar year 2013, as was announced at the VGAs.
And that's it! Lots of stuff to sort through there. I'm pretty surprised that The Devil's Third is still so far away, but I suppose putting together a new studio and then making a game isn't easy.
