THQ Closes Zurich Office

FEBRUARY 26, 2009 • THQ closed its International Office in Zürich as part of a cost-reduction restructuring. The closure comes a year after the office had been opened to facilitate the publisher global expansion plans. On March 18, THQ notifi ed employees at its Big Huge Games studio that it may be closed in 30 days if a bu.....

Nordic Region Report

FEB. 19, 2009 • The year 2008 saw ups and downs for the Scandinavian countries of Europe. In Sweden 2008 the game sales reached €285 million, which is an increase with 34.0 percent compared to 2007. The unit volume was the same year-on-year with 7.7 million games. The most likely culprit being the wider availability of m.....

THQ Expands in China

SEPT. 4, 2008 • THQ confirmed it will open a new office in Shanghai to court publishing and development partners in China. The company is interested in both online and packaged games for the market. Later this year THQ will release Company of Heroes Online in Asia with its Chinese partner Shanda Interactive. The latter is a free-to-pay game with micro-transaction options. Impact: THQ has been quietly looking to build up a presence both in Asia and in.....

Funcom and Age of Conan

AUG 17, 2008 • On May 20, 2008 one of the most anticipated online games of the year was released by Funcom, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. Conan was highly anticipated and got off to a quick start. After only a week, Funcom issued a press release claiming over 400,000 gamers had entered the game. But, alre.....

Autodesk

JULY 22, 2008 • Autodesk has been a leading software tools provider since it was founded back in 1982.  Over the years, Autodesk has expanded its game tool software portfolio through a series of acquisitions. In February of this year, Autodesk announced it was purchasing Kynogon SA, a Paris-based provider of artificial intelligence middleware for the video game industry.  The acquisition was finalized in May and Kynogon was folded into the newly created Game .....

WALL*E Set For Arabic Markets

JULY 4, 2008 • WALL*E is the first Xbox 360, PS3 or PSP title to be localized for the Arabic market. Based on the Disney Pixar film, the THQ UK title is being distributed in the Middle East by Pluto Games. The accessibility of the content made the game a good bet for distribution in Middle East territories where cultural.....

Take-Two In Talks With Ubisoft

JUNE 10, 2008 • While Take-Two Interactive’s board of directors holds out for a better cash offer from Electronic Arts, Forbes magazine speculated that the former is negotiating with another takeover suitor: Ubisoft. During a June 5 financial conference call, Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick admitted he had held discussions with other interested parties. Ubisoft declined to comment. Impact: Ubisoft has a better reputation for working with acqu.....

Queensland Games

APRIL 5, 2008 • Game development has become a true global business and hit games come from all around the world. However, there are a few hot spots where developers tend to congregate. In many cases this is because regional governments provide support mechanisms to help incubate a local technology community. DFC Intelli.....