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PSA: D4, MX vs. ATV now on Games with Gold
As the calendar flipped to January yesterday, Xbox Live Gold members are now able to download this month's free games on Xbox One and Xbox 360. As revealed in December, Xbox One owners with a premium Live subscription can now pick up Access Games' quirky adventure D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die free of charge. Subscribers get two games on Xbox 360 this month: Offroad racer MX vs ATV Alive and CD Projekt's The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. D4 will be available throughout the month while the two previous-generation games are on a split schedule. MX vs ATV Alive is free until January 15, then The Witcher 2 will be available to download at no cost on January 16 through the end of the month. Lastly, according to the Microsoft Store, last month's Xbox One game Worms Battlegrounds is still available to download for free. [Image: Microsoft]
Games with Gold January: D4, The Witcher 2, MX vs. ATV Alive
Games with Gold in January offers the deliciously off-kilter D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die free all month for Xbox Live Gold members on Xbox One, a savings of $15. Xbox 360 Gold members get two rounds of free games: MX vs. ATV Alive from January 1 - 15, and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings from January 16 - 31. Swery's D4 is a particularly lovely offering for Xbox One owners – in our review, we note the surprising smoothness of the Kinect voice and motion controls, and highlight the wacky yet gruesome narrative: "As a Kinect game, D4 gives me hope for the innovation and technical acuity still to come in motion-controlled gaming. [...] It's all very fun, even when addressing the gory details of a murder, but that's not where it stops. The story, while generic on the surface, is engaging and wild enough to support an episodic format. I want to know what happens next. I want to interrogate more people. I want to find out who killed my wife, and I want to try to bring her back." Happy new year, indeed. [Image: Microsoft]
THQ 'not to actively pursue further development' of MX vs ATV franchise
As part of its announcement of a "strategic realignment" of internal studios, THQ revealed that it has no current plans to continue the MX vs ATV franchise. In addition to moving away from movie licenses and children's games, THQ has "decided not to actively pursue further development of the MX vs. ATV franchise at this time." The latest game in the series, MX vs ATV Alive, was recently referred to as a "noble," though failed "experiment" by THQ CEO Brian Farrell. It was released as a budget title, with THQ pinning its hopes on high sales and an aggressive DLC strategy. Sales -- and thus, DLC purchases -- were below THQ's expectations.
THQ laments 'disappointing' quality in recent games
THQ's earnings release and investor call have seemed to pile on the poor Red Faction series. CEO Brian Farrell called out Armageddon's disappointing sales in the release, and announced the effective cancellation of the series in the investor call. Elsewhere in the call, he lamented the perceived quality of Armageddon and the other two most recent core games -- presumably MX vs. ATV: Alive and UFC Personal Trainer, though none are identified by name. "The last three launches we've had have been disappointing in terms of the quality," he said. "Mid-70s [in terms of Metacritic average] is not good enough, and the entire team in our core group knows that." Farrell said the core group intends to focus on putting enough time and resources into its games to ensure higher quality. He specifically referenced Saints Row: The Third, for which "We believe strongly the quality bar is there." And that's how the game's signature weapon got its new nickname, "The Quality Bar."
MX vs. ATV dubbed a noble, though not successful, experiment
In trying to reinvent itself, THQ has tried some interesting things; unfortunately, many of these experiments haven't been successful. Take, for example, MX vs. ATV Alive, the publisher's budget-priced take on the motocross mainstay. "We were trying to take some of our learnings from the free-to-play market and see if we could apply them to the console world," CEO Brian Farrell explained to investors on an earning's call today. "The idea was [...] to come out with a robust product at a $39.99 price point, build a larger install base more quickly, and then monetize that install base through rapid and large-number of DLC drops." The only problem is ... the game didn't move enough units to, in turn, move enough DLC to make the experiment a success. "The key learning there was that it was not a successful experiment," Farrell admitted. "The $39.99 price point, while good – it gave us good acceleration of sales – just wasn't enough to drive the install base to where we wanted it to be. Obviously the correlary to that, is that on a lower install base, the amount of DLC sales are not what we anticipated." Farrell blamed the "high fixed cost of goods in the current console market" for preventing the publisher from hitting a low enough price to drive meaningful DLC sales. The CEO concludes, calling the game a "noble experiment" that he thinks will have "a long shelf life at $39.99."
MX vs. ATV Alive launch trailer gets appropriately dirty
If you like two- and four-wheelin' around dirt pits, up ramps and into the air, you'll probably want to watch this launch trailer for MX vs. ATV Alive. Or ... you'll want to go do those things outside. Don't let us keep you!
MX vs. ATV vs. Xbox 360 Avatar Marketplace
Downloadable content is central to THQ's strategy for the (initially) budget-priced MX vs. ATV Alive. So it should come as no surprise that THQ is seeking DLC opportunities even outside of the game. A bunch of Xbox 360 Avatar items based on the off-road racer are available through the Marketplace now, in advance of the May 10 release of the game. So you can start buying DLC even before you get it! This will be your chance to outfit your Avatar with that tiny 4-wheeler, helmet, or tire-shaped yo-yo you need to complete the virtual representation of your real-life self!%Gallery-123005%
Expect MX vs. ATV Alive DLC every two weeks
MX vs ATV Alive's business model is built around a simple concept: lots of DLC. The racer will retail for $40 in the States (£29.99 in UK) and will have new DLC every two weeks, according to THQ's corporate global brand manager Ali Bouda, speaking to MCV. "We have extensive DLC available from the first day and are planning to release new content every other week over several months," Bouda said. This experimental model lends itself to the game, he said, because the game is about "environments, tracks and vehicles – not about a continuing story, like Homefront and Saints Row." Of course, if this experiment ends up being successful for THQ on consoles then it's anyone's game. See: EA's Project Ten Dollar. Update: THQ has slightly revised its previous statement of "every other week" for the game's DLC. Bouda contacted Joystiq to say, "We are targeting several drops within each month over the next few months starting day one." %Gallery-119675%
MX vs. ATV is Alive with DLC trailer
The latest trailer for THQ's "budget" priced MX vs. ATV Alive shows off some gameplay and where the company hopes you'll be spending plenty of time: the DLC store.
MX vs. ATV Alive goes bar-to-bar in latest trailer
We always thought the sport of motocross was a gentlemanly affair, where mature and responsible competitors enjoyed a smooth ride around on their motorized bicycles. But apparently that's not the case. As shown in this MX vs. ATV Alive trailer, the sport can be rather violent -- even extreme.
MX vs. ATV Alive DLC starts with Suzuki bikes
THQ's strategy for the MX vs. ATV Alive includes lots of DLC. Knowing that it's part of the game from the outset means THQ can show off downloadable extras even before it launches at $40 this May. You'll be able to go into a purchase of this game secure in the knowledge that you can buy some new virtual Suzuki motorcycles, including the RM125, RM-Z250, RM-Z450 and QuadRacer R450. For casual MX vs. ATV players (like us), that means "these pretty yellow bikes."%Gallery-119675%
MX vs. ATV comes Alive in May
THQ's MX vs. ATV Alive was finally made official today, as the publisher announced that the experimental off-road racer will be released this May for $40 on PS3 and Xbox 360. It's experimental, by the way, because this is THQ's long-discussed first "hybrid" game, with a "budget" disc price accompanied by an "unprecedented digital content distribution strategy" -- basically, there will be a bunch of DLC at launch and beyond. Shake off all those thoughts of business models and content strategies, and then head past the break for a teaser featuring lots of wheels on dirt -- and, apparently, lots of Gatorade spilling out of racers.%Gallery-114621%
MX vs. ATV series ships ten million units, next game announcement Jan. 8
THQ today announced plans to formally announce the next installment in its MX vs. ATV series at the Monster Energy AMA Supercross event in Anaheim this Saturday, January 8. We're assuming the big reveal will be ... MX vs. ATV Alive, the "hybrid" iteration we've be hearing about for months. Alive is expected to retail for a "budget" price ($40) and, THQ hopes, will bring in the big bucks with a steady stream of DLC. "You know, hopefully tens of millions of dollars will come from just that single product," THQ CEO Brian Farrell mused about Alive last month. To date, the series has shipped 10 million units, across its three console releases and a PSP port, according to the publisher. In a 2011 release schedule posted by THQ last fall, MX vs. ATV Alive, the fourth console edition of the series, was set to go off-roading this spring. We'll see if the plan has changed following this weekend's update.
Game industry 'a lot healthier' than what NPD has indicated, THQ CEO believes
Speaking with GameSpot about his company's forthcoming releases and business strategy, THQ CEO Brian Farrell suggested that reports of the game industry's death have been greatly exaggerated. Those "reports" -- perhaps better thought of as a general perception shared by many investors, analysts, media outlets and informed consumers -- can be largely attributed to declining software sales over the past few years, as tracked by the NPD Group on a monthly basis. "I'm a big fan of NPD and we're not declaring war on them," Farrell assured, "but what we've been trying to clarify is people are looking at just NPD now, right?" While NPD is in the process of expanding the scope of its reports (and also limiting them), the group has traditionally tallied only U.S. sales of new (physical) software, in addition to those of hardware and accessories, painting an increasingly bleak picture of the industry as revenue continues to shift to other sectors. (NPD now intends to track sales data across a wide range of revenue streams, including digital and mobile platforms and social networks, not to mention used-game businesses and rentals.) "I'm not being critical of [NPD], but it's just a lot of investors or people who look at the industry and see the NPD box product sales are down," Farrell lamented, before juxtaposing that perception with THQ's point of view: "more people are playing games than ever before." "[We] as an industry need to come up with a different way to look at the industry to capture all those revenue streams," he continued. "So I think the industry is a lot healthier than just what NPD is reporting." THQ will test that apparent vitality next spring with the release of MX vs. ATV Alive, which will be budget-priced at $40 and supported by a steady stream of DLC. "You know, hopefully tens of millions of dollars will come from just that single product."
THQ president talks up new $40 sales model, building a user base
THQ president Brian Farrell has some bold ideas about the future of the gaming industry's profitability. While speaking at the recent BMO Capital Markets Conference, Farrell explained, "What we're thinking about the business is we're turning it on its head a little bit," later adding, "It's not, 'how high a price can we get', but 'how many users.'" Farrell then described THQ's vision for capitalizing on that policy: As revealed in September, THQ hopes to launch the next entry into the MX vs. ATV series at a lower price point, and rely on DLC to bring in the big bucks. "When we launched [MX vs. ATV] at $59.99, we'd do some units, and then when we brought the price down to the mass market-friendly price of $39.99, it would just pop," he explained to the conference's attendees. "So the thinking this time is, let's initially launch at $39.99 ... It's a AAA title, at that price point, but then with a series of DLC so people can extend their experience." The company's strategy makes a lot more sense, now. See, before, we just thought they were dropping the MSRP because they wanted to do a nice thing for us.
Next THQ MX game coming 2012, to offer 'hybrid' budget experience with DLC
Games aren't always going to keep their $60 price tag -- at least, that's what THQ president Brian Farrell believes. Speaking at the recent "Goldman Sachs Communacopia XIX" investors conference, Farrell described the future of the industry, one that allows for more flexibly priced goods. He offered a glimpse at the future by discussing the company's next (currently unannounced) MX game. Due in fiscal 2012, the title will experiment with a "hybrid" model that combines a budget price point and extensive DLC. "What we're doing this time is coming out initially with a smaller game at a lower price point, at the $29-$39 range, and then doing a download model for different modes, different tracks, different vehicles. We call it hybrid because it's a take on the microtransaction and DLC models," he explained to investors. By offering a smaller game at a smaller price point, Farrell believes they can capture the budget gamer "no matter what." However, by adding extensive microtransaction options, gamers can buy into as much as they want. "If a person wants to spend a $100 on a game then they can do that as well." THQ's next MX game is just another example of the shifting economies within the video game industry. For example, THQ's Red Faction Battlegrounds represents yet another part of the company's experiment to diversify game pricing. EA has also been expanding its digital portfolio with its own "Project Ten Dollar" initiative. "Whether it's a take on this model or the free-to-play model, this is where our industry is going," Farrell added.
Red Faction: Armageddon coming May 2011; new Saints Row next fall
THQ today published a "core games" release calendar, highlighted by the revised May 2011 date given for Red Faction: Armageddon, which pushes it out of a crowded first quarter -- but just a few months beyond the initially proposed date. The calendar spans the publisher's fiscal 2012 (April 2011 – March 2012) and also includes a Spring 2011 release window for MX vs. ATV Alive, followed by the planned summertime launch of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. A new Saints Row game (or games?) and a WWE iteration are expected next fall. Additionally, an upcoming UFC title has been slated for Winter 2012 (January–March 2012). Of course, all dates are "subject to change," THQ notes.
