While THQ's financial woes are public knowledge these days and sometimes even considered as the butt of jokes, I'm guessing for external studios who are developing games for the publisher, it's a different matter altogether.
In an interview with RPS, Cevat Yerli, CEO of Crytek, who's developing Homefront 2 for THQ, speaks out on their relationship with the publisher and admits it's an "unsettling experience" at times.
Our support and collaboration with THQ has been really strong. But obviously, it’s an unsettling experience at times when you read this news [about trouble at THQ]. I mean, we’ve constantly had a great relationship and communication with THQ’s top management. What’s more unsettling isn’t when we read the news – because we kind of already know these things before the public – but when some of the team members don’t know the details, and they get concerned. And then the fanbase gets that way as well. When the fanbase of Homefront or Crytek gets worried, we need to fix that.
Speaking of Homefront 2, Yerli thinks that game will be a "very big part" of THQ's turnaround. So much so, that he states that its "the most important project," and adds that along with Saints Row, they're two of THQ's flagship brands.
We know how our relationship is, but we don’t know what’s happening to fix THQ’s financial problems. That’s THQ’s prerogative. But we have hopes that THQ is going to turn around, and Homefront 2 is a very big part of that turnaround. I would say it’s probably the most important project, actually. I would say it’s the IP that’s most relevant along with Saints Row. Those two are pretty much THQ’s flagship.
For those who can't remember — and I don't blame you — the first Homefront was developed by KAOS Studios and was met with generally mixed reviews. After THQ shuttered the internal studio down, they commissioned Crytek to develop the military FPS for an unspecified release date for current-gen platforms. Aside from that, no other details has been shared. But if Crytek hopes to ship the game within this generation of consoles, I'd expect THQ to make an announcement regarding the game in 2013 at some point.
So, do you agree with Yerli and think Homefront 2 might be the game to save THQ's sinking ship? Or is it doomed to be forgotten in the crowded military FPS genre just like its predecessor?
