thq-australia
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Rumor: THQ reduces AU staff by 14, Japan office set to close [update: THQ responds]
One "anonymous source" speaking to Kotaku's Australian arm believes that more layoffs are affecting THQ, this time specifically targeting 14 AU-based employees and the remainders of the company's Japan-based office. As has been the company line throughout the the past week of intermittent layoffs, "THQ's five internal studios have not ben affected," the piece says, referencing THQ San Diego, Relic, Volition, Vigil and THQ Montreal.The rumor seemingly falls in step with last week's news of "administrative and publishing departments" being affected, as THQ's Australian and Japanese presence amounts to little more than distribution offices. The rumors follow two confirmed rounds of layoffs at the ailing publisher, whose stock price is trading at roughly $.70 currently.THQ had yet to return request for comment as of publishing, but we'll update this post as we hear more. The publisher will report its financial third quarter results this Thursday, where it's promising more information about recent restructuring.Update: THQ issued a response to Joystiq, which reads: "The actions in APAC [Asia-Pacific] are related to our reduction in force from last week – same statement applies. However, 'closing' is not accurate as we still have staff on the ground there and our OZ office has always handled our business relationships in APAC."
You really should have seen this amazing footage from The Avengers video game
Earlier this year THQ shuttered the Australian studio most likely working on The Avengers: The Video Game, and until now we didn't know how far along the game was, or how awesome it was turning out to be. A freshly leaked video shows The Avengers in a pre-alpha build, highlighting the game's sweet FPS mechanics -- unfortunately THQ has pulled the footage from YouTube, meaning you'll never get to see how amazing this thing was. Your life sucks. Not to rub it in your face, but we saw it and boy, was it good. The video showed the first-person perspectives of Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Captain America, all using unique fighting styles to destroy their enemies -- or get obliterated by them, as was the case against the X-Men and Fantastic Four Super-Skrulls. The art style appeared sophisticated, especially for a pre-alpha build, and it contained just the right amount of superhero violence, including an active input scene where Hulk slowly snapped the neck of a Super-Skrull. Seriously, it's a shame you'll never see this footage. Ever. Unless you see it here. We hope you appreciate it more this way.
