THQ says no to ports, yes to console specifics

[Ace Pace]

I like this idea, console specific games are really the best.

Conventional wisdom states that in the age of rising development costs and a more even split among gamers in the marketplace, the only way to make money is to create a game that you can port across multiple systems and release simultaneously with as many SKUs as possible. THQ, home of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and the WWE license, is bucking the trend: it plans on releasing each of its titles on one console only, maximizing each system's strengths with each release. It's a very different direction from what the industry is used to, but it may not be as crazy as it sounds.

Launching multiple versions of each game across every system on the same day can be a good marketing strategy. Unfortunately, the result is often a bland port that doesn't take advantage of any one console. Some games like Madden can make the multiplatform strategy work, but when it comes to a developer without EA's resources and monopoly on NFL titles the story is often different. If you look at the most popular and highly rated games of the past few years, the titles designed for a single console stand out. Gears of War, God of War 2, MotorStorm, and Halo 2 all fall under this category. The multiplatform trend is made up heavily of licensed games that can be recreated cheaply on multiple consoles; the design decisions that lead to such a product don't work well in a creative environment.

"I don't mean to oversimplify this, but in the past a lot of publishers—including us—would say, 'Okay, let's make a game and get it across every system.' That's not our strategy going forward; there are going to be different gamers for the different systems," THQ CEO Brian Ferrell told GamesIndustry.biz. "So our strategy is different types of content, segmented on who the users of the systems are."

Here's an example of how the segmentation might play out. The PlayStation 3 is losing some of the market share the PlayStation 2 enjoyed, and with the 360 doing well in terms of sales and library, it's possible the two next-generation consoles will have nearly the same size customer base. The Wii continues to sell incredibly well, but the lower-powered hardware and unique control solution make the system unfriendly to the quickie ports publishers have done in the past. Combine this with the opportunities the DS has created for profit in the portable gaming world, and there are three very distinct markets for developers to target.

THQ's strategy would involve picking one of these markets for each of its releases and aiming the game's development specifically for what that console can do. If this results in less generic-feeling ports and better utilization of each platform's strengths, the result could be better games and better sales.

THQ's decision marks a refreshing change of pace, and a sign of how different the industry looks now compared to even a few years ago. It also ensures that THQ will be watched closely by other developers and publishers to see if this strategy yields the desired results.

[Resinence]

Blah, as long as it doesn't further hurt PC gamers.

LONG LIVE THE PC GAME!

[Karmic Knight]

I don't se anything wrong with THQ's strategy, unless they really srcew it up and design the games very slowly thus having each one be released months apart, the consumers can buy the game that is more likly to intrest them based on their console of choice

Oh and, LONG LIVE THE PC GAME!

[Edward Yee]

The WWE SmackDown vs RAW 2008 game is from what I understand actually going to continue being on multiple consoles but with different gameplay between full-size consoles as well. Come to think of it, aren't the GRAW duology like that?