Publisher cuts dozens from Play THQ team after PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of uDraw Game Tablet fall short of sales expectations.
Earlier this week, THQ cut its quarterly sales forecast by a one-quarter, blaming the newly anticipated shortfall on a weaker-than-expected retail performance from the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of its uDraw gaming tablet peripheral. The fallout from that surfaced today, as THQ laid off dozens of employees from its Agoura Hills, California-based Play THQ team.
"Due to weaker than expected sales of the uDraw Game Tablet, we are taking a difficult but important step to reduce the number of employees that supported this brand," a THQ representative told GameSpot. "Thirty people will be leaving the company and business unit leader Martin Good will also be leaving to pursue new opportunities outside the company.
"This action will allow us to reduce costs, increase efficiency and increase the focus of our organization. WWE '12 and Saints Row: The Third are two of the top games this holiday season and we also have another huge hit coming up in February with the launch of UFC 3. We want to make sure that we are focused on maximizing the sales and profitability of these titles, as well as the broader pipeline of titles that matter most to our future."
The Wii version of the uDraw Game Tablet quickly exceeded THQ's sales expectations when it launched in November 2010, shipping 1.7 million units in the publisher's fiscal year and prompting plans for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. The tablet came packed in with the uDraw Studio art utility and was released alongside two compatible $30 titles: Pictionary and Dood's Big Adventure.
Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.
I had only heard about the uDraw a couple times but I never knew that it was actually out. I think lack of advertisement had a play in their "weaker-than-expected retail performance". I think this is a decent idea but I think it would be slightly challenging at the same time (since you don't look at where your drawing).
ADVERTISE!!!!! If you have a product to sell, your not going to move any if people don't know about it! It's not rocket science! I walked into a Tesco, and saw one on a shelf. I had no idea what it was, as it was the first time I had seen or even heard of it. I don't think I've seen one in the local GAME. Hell, I don't think I've even seen it talked about on this website, apart from the articles stating how it's not selling. And because of poor advertisement and lack of knowledge from the public, 30 people are now out of a job. It's a shame.
30 people fired just to make this quarter slightly better on paper. This crap is rampant.
Never heard or seen of Udraw before, apparently there's ad's somewhere in the world, but definitely not here. Hell, I spend my days in games stores and it's definitely not there in PS3 or 360 sections.
That Udraw is crap. I work at Best Buy and nobody buys that. There is virtually nothing useful you can do with it.
Actually capitalism is simple, it is to earn maximum profit, and those who fail to do that would have to cut their cost in some way to counter the loss. Advice for THQ: It is a good idea to focuse on creating high quality materials and games instead of some gimmicks like uDraw.
/they should've waited for the Wii U :lol: and have people use the Wii U tablet instead of wasting money on that
One thing I find funny. No matter how much it sucks for people to get fired/let go. Either they do this, or risk having to lay off all of the staff(eventually). Business is business unfortunately, and it isn't heartless. It's just the way it works. - I would imagine if you most of you owned a company that wasn't making profit, you would SURELY keep using your own cash to keep them imployed knowing you would eventually go bankrupt. - You can bet if 99% of the people posting against these layoffs, had to used their own money to keep them employed, there would be more layoffs than this. Sometimes things are not a black and white as they seem.
@Paradosis: Actually, the very definition of "capitalism" is MUCH less sinister than all the young anti-corporation people think these days.. you ready for it?: - "An economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit." WOW that's the most evil system!?!?! lol.. I don't think many understand what capitalism means these days..
So, a tablet letting people draw and colour sold well on wii... then didn't sell well on xbox 360/ps3... hmmmm... I wonder why that would be.. Why would a drawing/colouring game sell better on the wii....? - Man I'm really stumped on this one ;)
I don't want to pay for a tablet+PS3+TV+electric power to play Pictionary ! A sheet of paper + a pen is the best solution, and you can even trow the used paper at your friends if they didn't find what was your ridiculous drawing !
When THQ prez says gaming will go disk free in the near future and then they put so much money on something like this... it seems more logical that gaming will be THQ free in the near future.
Believe it or not i didn't buy an xbox to practise drawing... Microsoft and Sony are just eager to cash in on the casual gamer market after witnessing the Wiis success. Im glad it has flopped, i want to play REAL games, if i wanna draw il go oldschool and use a pen and paper!
@Paradosis I would wager the fact that this didn't sell well means that they didn't do a very good job to begin with. Whether in the planning stage, or marketing stage. If they seriously expected this thing to sell like a video game, they were sorely mistaken.
@airshocker Let me fix your comment. This is capitalism: your boss gives you a job to do, and no matter how good or bad you are at it, if the public doesn't buy it, then you're screwed. Also, ifsomeone else in the company (e.g. marketing people, or the people who didn't put promotion in the budget) drops the ball, then you still might be screwed.
Well see this coming so this year been awful year bit got thq first homefront, They did Red faction 4 an guess what the person made it blame thq because was thq idea for that and i do belive thq didnt put lot money for red faction 4 and thats why turn awful. Saints Row3 sold but udraw lost a lot. WWE12 was bit same. Next THQ doing homefront 2 but if thq go bankbruph before then when out 213 Cyteck will own all rights homefront since cyteck uk working on homefront2. THQ need to face to bring better games and stop with the kids games and work on new projects what will work. Even they got no much games out 212 window like ufc 212 will be out WWE game snd thats it. And might see Saints row 4 out next year if so. THQ going to have a gd year next year . So i like to say i feel soz pp who got layoff near xmas ;[
This summer I always felt that the fate of THQ rests in the hands of Saints Row the Third. Despite "performing above expectations", Saints Row didn't save the company, in fact, uDraw practically put the nail in its coffin. Anyone who had stock in THQ, its pretty much gone.
I didn't even know uDraw was made for 360 and ps3. Sounds more like a lack of promotion on THQ's part, but I think uDraw just wouldn't appeal to anyone outside of the wii demographic anyway.
Forces programmers to make overpriced coloring book software for the 360 and PS3. Lays them off after it doesn't sell. Scumbag THQ.
I didn't see any marketing for this anywhere. That said, I don't watch children's channels which is where I would market something like this, so maybe there was marketing, but in that case, the Wii is the perfect target platform for this thing. The casual audiences that bought a Kinect aren't going to buy this because it doesn't use Kinect, and the casual market on PS3 is almost non-existent in the US and small in Europe, Asia, and Australia.
It's almost as if there are separate and distinct audiences of gamers out there and EVERYONE can't get the casuals. Anyone who would have wanted one of these things probably already had one for the Wii. Duh. I still can't wait until the industry decides that there are multiple gamer types out there and stops ALL trying to go after casual, social and multiplayer. nocoolnamejim: Have money, will buy games that target him.
Too bad...I think it's kind of got potential if they developed something really unique for it. I think the main thing is the high asking price...which is funny because I noticed tonight (at least) two retailers in Canada have slashed $30 off it's price until christmas...that should help move a few.
That's what happens when developers try to push casual crap to real gamers. We're just not buying that s%@+!!
I was just looking at the UDraw Game Tablet today at the store. O: I feel bad for the layoffs. :(
What a bunch of morons trying to sell uDraw to CoD and BF gamers. What were they thinking? I can't believe I own stock in this dog. OH well ... Hopefully Saints Row/WWE/UFC will save the day.
This is where I tell THQ that they did not meet MY expectations. They're laid off from my gaming dollars. Until Metro: Last Light is released upon the world.
[UPDATE] THQ offers a Humble THQ Bundle starting from $1; games include Darksiders, Company of Heroes and others; over $2.3 million generated.
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