THQ Set to Layoff 170 More Employees

Layoffs are sure to put anyone in a bad mood, but it's especially heart breaking for gamers when people in the industry are let go. Two weeks ago we went through the rather depressing announcement that THQ had handed pink slips to 75 employees at their California offices and last week we saw their Australian offices let go of 14 more employees. It now appears that the situation at THQ has become even worse as the company is set to announce the departure of 170 more staff members. Read on for further details.

The news comes from independent industry executive Kevin Dent who wrote the following on his Twitter account: "This is probably going to break in the morning, I have sat on it for a weeks or so. The culling at THQ was 170+ souls including [THQ's vice president of technology Mark DeLoura]." This tweet was directed at Deloura. Dent later posted that "A smart journalist would send THQ's VP of Tech Mark DeLoura an email and see what the auto reply says." This elicited a direct response of "Hey, that's cheating. [smiley face]" from DeLaura. 

We will have to wait for official word from THQ on the situation, but if this tweet is anything to go by, the situation at the company is dire.

Founded in 1989, THQ is a North American video game developer and publisher. Known for such classic series as Red Faction, MX vs. ATV, and Company of Heroes, the company has gone on to be one of the leading developers and publishers in the industry. Aside from creating original titles, the company is also known for an impressive list of exclusive, long-term licensing agreements with the likes of Games Workshop (Warhammer), Disney-Pixar, and Nickelodeon. Recently the company has suffered big losses and has even received a delisting notice from the NASDAQ stock exchange.

For a company with so many great franchises under their belt, it is quite surprising to see things going south so quickly. Sure, releasing more Sponge Bob Squarepants games than we know what to do with probably hasn't lead to great sales, but the company also recently released the critically acclaimed Saints Row 3. We also know that the UDraw peripheral has not sold well, but the company does have enough original franchises to keep things going for at least a little while longer. From here on out, THQ will need to hit it out of the park with each release if they want to correct the current mess they are in.

THQ is set to release Darksiders II sometime in June, which will hopefully lead to some increased sales for the company. The recently announced South Park: The Game has also gone over well with fans and is likely to sell well.

Source: Eurogamer

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