THQ sees itself as 'creative hub'
Says it's why devs like them.
THQ boss Brian Farrell says the key to attracting development talent like Supreme Commander's Chris Taylor is the publisher's role as "a creative hub", and he reckons it sets them aside from the likes of Electronic Arts.
"Our studios were built with the idea that that's where the creative process resides," Farrell tells our sister-site GamesIndustry.biz. "I'm not sure our competitor's studio system was architected the same way, so in a sense they will have to catch up with us," he added, referring to EA directly.
"Look at Chris Taylor - he's one of the rock stars of the industry, and he's working with THQ now. If you ask him why, it's because we believe in his products - 'You build what your vision of Supreme Commander is. You do what you do well, we'll do what we do well. Let's co-operate, let's not do the developer-publisher head butt.'"
"I think there are a lot of developers, including Chris, who'd say, 'THQ gets it.' We're not selling soap or bleach or chocolate, we're providing entertainment. And I don't think we hear that enough in the games business."
Farrell also says that THQ is desperate not to ruin franchises with rapid-fire sequels. "We've seen what can happen with some franchises over the years, so we're very mindful," he said, explaining the firm's publishing strategy. "We will do sequels, but it's not about flogging the same horse every year."
For more from the man who says "annualisable", check out the rest of the Brian Farrell interview on GamesIndustry.biz.