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UFC 2009 and Red Faction: Guerrilla bolster THQ profits
Dropping knowledge about its Q2 earnings for this year, THQ has revealed that UFC 2009 Undisputed and Red Faction: Guerrilla have both become multi-million dollar franchises for the publisher. With these two, along with a game based on the recent Pixar film Up, THQ enjoyed three of the top ten best-sellers for the month of June. UFC 2009 Undisputed wrestled the competition to the ground throughout May and June, shipping a combined 2.9 million units worldwide. Red Faction: Guerrilla also fared well, shipping a combined one million units across the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. Not only did THQ dominate the US in June, but the publisher enjoyed the top spot in the UK June charts with everyone's favorite testicle-punching simulator, UFC 2009.
THQ earnings show profits up
THQ recently unloaded its earnings for its first fiscal quarter ending June 30, and with strong sales of UFC 2009 Undisputed and Red Faction: Guerrilla (it's all about the ostriches, baby!), the company is, uh, very much not operating like THQ. It reports that net profits climbed a whopping 77% to $243.5 million (from $137.6 million last year) and that net sales (non-GAAP) for the three months ending June 30 was $233.9 million, up 93% from $121.1 million last year.And, again, it's all due to strong showings of Red Faction: Guerrilla and UFC 2009 Undisputed. Both titles shipped over a million units (the latter shipping almost three) and made huge profits for THQ during Q2 of this year, the company's first fiscal quarter of 2010.
Not a PC joke: Red Faction Guerrilla demolishing buildings in Sept.
This post isn't so much to let you know that Red Faction: Guerrilla is releasing on PC this September 11th (awkward, think about it) and 15th in Europe and the US, respectively. No, this little post is mostly to gush and let you know that if your PC can handle the requirements (min. 2GHz dual-core, 1GB RAM and 128MB 3D card with Shader Model 3.0 support), it's worth picking up.The team at Volition have crafted fine summer fun that's received some well-deserved plaudits. Sure, it's got some issues -- like that "normal" is actually really hard (play on "casual" to experience the fun this title has to offer). But, overall, if this is the type of quality we can expect from the "new THQ," we're all over it.%Gallery-19834%
Trophies: Red Faction Guerrilla
Wake up on Mars and save the planet from an evil corporation. You're not in Total Recall -- you're playing Red Faction: Guerrilla. View Trophy List | Visit Trophy Portal
Red Faction: Guerrilla getting three DLC packs, first coming August 13
If your revolutionary Martian escapades are drawing to a close, don't fret -- it looks like there's plenty more Red Faction: Guerrilla content coming out in the next few months. THQ just announced three new DLC packs for the game -- the first of which, titled Demons of the Badlands, will land on XBLM and the PlayStation Store on August 13.Badlands is an expansion to the game's single-player campaign which features a "mission arc that takes place in an entirely new Mars landscape outside of the existing expansive world." THQ has priced the DLC at 800 or $9.99. The developer has promised further details on the August-bound DLC and the two other upcoming expansions in the next few weeks, so keep your ear to the red, dusty ground.
THQ: Quality of current titles enhanced by recent mass layoffs
Danny Bilson, who is now the executive VP of Core Games at THQ following last week's shuffle, says that shutting down several studios and dismissing 550 employees was necessary to create the "new THQ." He explains to GI.biz that the surviving studios were given more money to enhance the "quality" (another buzzword around THQ lately) of the titles in development. Bilson notes Red Faction: Guerrilla was given four extra months and millions in cash, which he believes was "worth every penny" -- reviewers apparently agree.The full interview with Bilson is quite notable for how frankly the executive discusses the prior state of the company, which lost $431 million last year. He explains that convincing executives that change was necessary wasn't difficult because THQ was in a "failure state." He also continues to drum home the point that the company is invested in focusing on the quality of its future core titles.
Metareview: 'Red Faction: Guerrilla' avoids being 'birdf*cked!'
Sorry, we couldn't help but reference Volition's absolutely brilliant April Fools video in the headline. Anyway, the reviews for Red Faction: Guerrilla are fairly solid. The Mars liberation simulator is being recognized as good summer fun with plenty of explosions. Now, "get your ass to Mars." 1UP (A-): "Guerrilla isn't a terribly deep game, but as a "summer blockbuster," it works just right. It doesn't expect you to get lost in a deep, engaging sci-fi world -- you're on a mission to Mars to watch stuff explode. A deeper story might have made it more enjoyable in some respects, but it might also have killed the momentum of the demolition action." GamePro (5/5): "It's become a rare thing for me to actually stop playing a game to call one of my friends and gush about something amazing that happened, or how much they need to play it when it comes out, but I did this countless times while playing Guerrilla" GameInformer (90/100): "The single-player campaign is lengthy, and continually rewarding. Don't be surprised, however, if you shun this experience for multiplayer. ... No matter what mode you enter, Red Faction: Guerrilla delivers on its promise of destruction, and offers an experience unlike anything else out there." Giant Bomb (4/5): "While there are clunky bits at the fringes of Red Faction: Guerrilla that give it a handful of frustrating or disappointing moments, the core moments of the game are exciting and well-conceived." Edge (7/10): "Red Faction plays its hand early, letting you blow a building to pieces in the first few minutes of the game. Though the explosions scale with progress, and the act of detonation continues to be a giddy pleasure, Mars could do with a thicker atmosphere." %Gallery-19834%
Red Faction: Guerrilla trailer fights the power
The empowering lyrics and musical stylings of Chuck D and his Golem-like sidekick Flava Flav transcend space and time, as Red Faction: Guerrilla's Mars-inhabiting denizens literally employed Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" song to their advantage. Boosted by the song's strong message, these folks took to arms, battling the corrupt and oppressive EDF forces. It's your classic story of "Boy goes to Mars, boy runs for his life, boy finds courage to fight back and murders people with an ostrich," really.
Volition: Saints Row, Red Faction Wii games a 'possibility'
When playing Saints Row or Red Faction, did you ever wish you could smash up buildings or conduct drive-by shootings with a porn star while waggling a Wiimote? Even if you answered "no" to that question, developer Volition says it may one day be possible. During the Red Faction: Guerrilla launch event in New York City last night (held at the red planet-themed tourist trap/night club known as Mars 2112), we asked senior associate producer Jeff Carroll if the THQ-owned studio ever considered making Wii versions of their popular franchises. "Though [THQ] may do Wii versions of [our games] in the future, Volition won't be doing them -- at least for the next year or so," Carroll said. "We actually talked about whether we were going to become a partial Wii developer," he explained. "Then we talked it over with THQ and they had enough studios that were going to be Wii-specific. But we really wanted to focus on the technological advances [in console development], especially for Red Faction Guerrilla." When asked if these Wii titles were in the works, he replied that he didn't know but that they were "within the realm of possibility." The real question is: Will Gary Busey be involved? For insanity's sake, we hope so.
Red Faction: Guerrilla PC version delayed, coming 'during this summer'
Though the console-bound versions of THQ's upcoming liberation sim, Red Faction: Guerrilla, will be hitting store shelves in a week and some change, it looks like the PC version of the title will be a little late to the party. We received tips pointing us to a few online retailers who had listed the game's launch date as August 25 -- almost three months later than the drop date for the Xbox 360 and PS3 version of the title.We contacted THQ to see if the PC version of Guerrilla would really be belated. A representative responded, "Indeed, the RFG PC sku will be a little late," adding that the game would "ship during this summer." Hey! August 25 is technically in this summer! We'll let you know when we hear a firm release date from THQ -- for good measure, we've also contacted Reactor Zero (the folks porting the shooter to PC) to find out what the deal with the hold-up is. Stay tuned!
Red Faction: Guerrilla MP demo now available for everyone
Our mother always used to tell us that "destroying something beautiful is always better if you do it with friends." She was, of course, a known anarchist and generally untrustworthy. You can imagine, then, how interested we are to test her words in the destructive Red Faction: Guerrilla MP demo, which is now available to all 360 and PS3 owners (or at least it will be available when the PSN update drops).If our mom was on the level (it would be quite the anomaly) and you have a blast, you'll be able to pick up the full game on June 2.
Red Faction: Guerrilla getting multiplayer demo May 21
The recent single-player demo for Red Faction: Guerrilla has been downloaded more than a million times already. Still, assuming you're tired of swinging sledgehammers in a vacuum, Volition and THQ will release a multiplayer demo over Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network on May 21.The demo will highlight the game's "Damage Control" mode, as players work to build and rebuild key structures on a pair of included maps, using an assortment of nine weapons and five backpacks. 15 unlockable experience levels will also be included -- useful with Red Faction: Guerrilla set to ship on June 2 and ostrich hunting season just around the corner.[Via Console Monster]
Red Faction: Guerrilla bumped up in North America, Europe
Much like Godzilla or Oprah, our thirst for destruction can never be slaked, but it appears we'll be getting some brief respite from our compulsions a touch earlier than anticipated. THQ has announced that the destructive action of Red Faction: Guerrilla will now appear in the US on June 2nd, a week before it was originally supposed to drop.Our friends in Europe have also had their release bumped up a week to June 5, but everyone knows they don't have quite our hunger for building-destroying carnage that we do.
UFC 2009 Undisputed, Red Faction: Guerrilla demos now available
THQ has been busy today, dropping demos for both UFC 2009 Undisputed and Red Faction: Guerrilla on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Both demos, which will no doubt square off for your attention this morning, are only available for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. In the blue corner, the demo for Undisputed features Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua battling for control of the Octagon. In the Red corner, the demo for Red Faction: Guerrilla finally gives players a taste of single-player action, following a lengthy multiplayer beta. Unfortunately, Guerrilla's demo does not feature the (completely realistic) ostrich hammer ... thankfully, the demo for UFC 2009: Undisputed does. Yes, we were surprised too.Download - UFC 2009: Undisputed DemoDownload - Red Faction Guerrilla Demo
Red Faction: Guerrilla dev diary explains terms of victory
Don't you just hate it when you boot up a game tape and have absolutely no idea how to solve it? Unfortunately, not all titles possess the straightforward, explanatory moniker of You Have To Burn The Rope, leaving players to their own devices to figure out how to conquer them. Thankfully, a recent developer diary from the folks at Volition (posted after the jump) reveals the most expedient route to the closing credits of their upcoming shooter, Red Faction: Guerrilla. The diary explains the basic goal of the game -- players will be tasked with clearing out the presence of the totalitarian Earth Defense Force from six sectors of a Martian mining settlement. There are plenty of ways to do so, though apparently, asking them really nicely to leave isn't one of them. Check out the video after the break for more details and gameplay footage.
PSA: Red Faction's Ostrich Hammer is real
click to enlarge (without hilarious speech bubble) Just a quick note: Remember the Ostrich Hammer that was revealed on April Fools' Day for Red Faction: Guerrilla? Yeah, well it's real. We asked Volition if the ornithoid tool would actually be featured in the game. At the time, we were told that the team was waiting to see what the community's reaction would be. It seemed feasible, given that the developers had gone to the trouble to actually model it in the game.It's more than feasible now, it's official. Volition has confirmed -- with new screenshots, no less -- that the Ostrich Hammer will be an unlockable in Red Faction: Guerrilla's multiplayer mode. On top of that, the devs are promising plenty of new info in the coming weeks regarding "more hammer unlocks, new modes" and changes made based on multiplayer beta feedback.We suggest you spend the interim researching what other animals would make the best hammers%Gallery-49055%.
THQ already planning sequels to unreleased games
THQ may not be doing so well financially, but the company doesn't want you to think it's down and out. In fact, it wants you to know it's planning for the future -- the distant future even! Announcing projected titles for the fiscal year ending 2012 (that's April 1, 2011 - March 31, 2012, folks) like Darksiders 2 and Red Faction 4, the company clearly hasn't written itself off yet. Hell, it's projecting titles that are still unproven intellectual properties! Filed away in the middle of a more than a month-old investor's report, GameSpot found a slide revealing four full years of projected THQ releases. Though the slide notes, "Release schedule subject to change," we were shocked enough to learn the company's planning sequels to games that have yet to be released. For THQ's investor's sakes, let's hope Darksiders and Red Faction: Guerrilla turn out to be the cash cows the company apparently anticipates them to be. [Via GameSpot]
(Not?) April Fools: Red Faction Guerrilla gains 'Ostrich Hammer'
Game developers aren't robots. If you cut them, they'll bleed. And so it went when the Sweeney Todds over at NeoGAF started teasing some early stills of Red Faction: Guerrilla. They cut and series developer Volition bled ... creativity! It all makes more sense after watching the video above. If you've ever shared our sentiment that today's multiplayer action games are heavy on metal (and/or energy-based) projectiles and short on bird-based bludgeoning, the Ostrich Hammer has been lovingly crafted with you in mind. Bon appétit!Update: When asked if the weapon would be unlockable in the final game, Volition's community manager told us, "We're just waiting to see what the community reaction is and we'll proceed from there." Well, what are you waiting for, community? React! %Gallery-49055%
Red Faction: Guerrilla to release June 9, demo on April 23
THQ has set a firm release date (on today of all days) for Volition's third-person reboot of the Red Faction franchise, Red Faction: Guerrilla. The game's demo will be available on April 23 to one and all, with those that pre-order from GameStop gaining access to said demo starting April 3. Red Faction: Guerrilla will release for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 on June 9.%Gallery-19834%
Pre-order Red Faction: Guerrilla, get a demo
A listing on GameStop.com has revealed that a demo for Red Faction: Guerrilla will arrive in April. The demo is being offered as a pre-order bonus for the game (seemingly a common practice these days), though THQ confirmed to VideoGamer that it will be available to the unwashed, non-pre-ordering masses eventually. Those who pre-order the game from GameStop will receive access to the demo from April 3 to April 23 and also an exclusive multiplayer map. According to GameStop, the persistent destruction of Red Faction: Guerrilla -- which we quite enjoyed at E3 last year -- will ship on June 9.[Via VideoGamer]%Gallery-19834%
