Wed, Mar 16, 2011 | 08:22 GMT

THQ’s 26% drop in stock value blamed on Homefront scores

Stock in THQ has fallen approximately 26 percent to $4.40 per share as of the close of the Nasdaq this evening.

The trading market saw 6.9 million shares of THQ stock exchanged which is more than four times the daily average.

It was reported earlier today that stock in THQ had dropped 12 percent to $5.23 (71 cents per share) following the release of Homefront reviews, but as the day progressed, the stock price continued to fall.

The shift in stock prices was reportedly due to this morning’s Metacritic rating of 75, based on 16 reviews. Currently, the score for Xbox 360 is 72, and PS3 sits at 76. A score of 80 is considered the minimum a shooter to be commercially viable but industry business types.

However, it must be noted that not all review scores were in by the time shares took a tumble, meaning the score could get higher, or for that matter lower once everyone reports in.

The different reviews of the game are also all over the place, as you can see via our reviews round-up, which is by no means comprehensive in and of itself. According to the LA Times, reviews are ranging anywhere from 50 to 93, with nine of the 16 reviews at 80 or above. The general consensus though, is that the multiplayer portion is rather well done.

Company CEO Brian Farrell said he is not concerned with review scores of the game, as it “seems to resonate with consumers.”

“It’s a mass market title,” he said. “Let’s see what players think.”

Homefront is one of the most expensive projects released by THQ, and received the largest number of pre-orders of any title in the firm’s history.

Last week, THQ CFO Paul Pucino said during an investor briefing that “you have to sell somewhere in the area of 2 million copies of a game like Homefront to break even.”

Thanks for the update: Gamasutra.

35 comment-trail-alt Posted in: PC, PS3, Retail, Shooter, THQ, Trade, Xbox 360
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35 comments

#1

Erthazus
15/03/11, 8:28 pm

Why Ps3 is at 76 at Xbox 360 at 73?

PS3 better port?

#2

Gekidami
15/03/11, 8:34 pm

I guess its all up to the games crazy amount of marketing to save it now.

#3

DeathJynx
15/03/11, 8:35 pm

No. Could be less ps3 reviews up or are less harsh on average.

#4

bigmac25
15/03/11, 8:39 pm

THQ how about making a better game? Come up with something new and exciting not just copy every other game out there and putting your own name to it.

#5

scuz
15/03/11, 8:41 pm

I hate to agree but this seems like a shameless copy job

#6

kofoed
15/03/11, 8:51 pm

Damn, THQ you been hyping the hell out of this game, and it’s just a new CoD Clone after all? :/

#7

Quasar
15/03/11, 8:57 pm

game is hsit
what do u expect from a 5h sp campaign with ps2 outdated graphics

#8

Maximum Payne
15/03/11, 8:59 pm

This game is more battlefield clone then Cod…After all MP is much better then Sp…

#9

Dark
15/03/11, 9:03 pm

@6
Why are you surprised? do you remember THQ making good games? nope i don’t remember either
darksiders = Gow clone
saint row = GTA clone
and now homefront is a COD clone.

#10

Erthazus
15/03/11, 9:06 pm

@Dark, “do you remember THQ making good games? ”

Of course.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Winter assault
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2: Retribution

Company Of Heroes (Company of heroes 2 is in the works)

Publishing games like METRO 2033 (2034 will be shown at E3 2011), STALKER

#11

DSB
15/03/11, 9:13 pm

I hope to fuck that isn’t true.

If a game scoring below 80 on metacritic means that a publisher loses a quarter of its value, then every single publisher is going to ramp up their efforts to buy reviews, and at the very least their efforts to blackmail the press even harder with further embargos.

Although really, pouring money into Kaos Studios after Fuel of War has very little justification. I wouldn’t be surprised if shareholders punish them for that alone.

THQ basically hasn’t released a good game since Saints Row 2. Although I guess loads and loads of people loved RF: Guerilla for some reason that I don’t quite get, so I guess I should really use that instead.

#12

monkeygourmet
15/03/11, 9:16 pm

I knew MS shouldn’t have wasted money on exclusive DLC for this… What a joke, everyone knew this was going to be average…

#13

Maximum Payne
15/03/11, 9:17 pm

darksiders = Gow clone
saint row = GTA clones
Are you even trying troll?

#14

Gekidami
15/03/11, 9:18 pm

^ …Sort of true though for those 2 games atleast, isnt it.

#15

OwningXylophone
15/03/11, 9:21 pm

@ 9

In addition to Erth’s list we have:

Broken Sword series
Red Faction
Destroy All Humans
15 years of WCW/WWE wrestling games (if that floats your boat)
Big Mutha Truckers
X

And of course who can forget the 1992 classic, Pit Fighter!

So Yeah, THQ have spewed out plenty of great games over the years

#16

monkeygourmet
15/03/11, 9:26 pm

For some reason, I always steered clear of THQ games in the Snes / Megadrive era, always saw them as a developer that did shoddy movie ports

#17

MegaGeek1
15/03/11, 9:28 pm

It seems no stock is safe from the neon talons of speculation!

#18

loki
15/03/11, 9:47 pm

ha ha ha ha
you make shit you pay for it

#19

xino
15/03/11, 9:48 pm

wow man…I feel sorry for them.

they are advertising the shit out of this game at the moment!

Seriously! I’ve never seen any marketing like this and I think this is the most expensive video game marketing ever done:/

advert on youtube, all over many gaming sites (including this), advert in london underground trains, billboard, posters, bus etc!

#20

DrDamn
15/03/11, 9:57 pm

@13
I think they meant God of War rather than Gears, but it’s very much not. It’s got more of a puzzle/exploration/Zelda vibe to it. Saints Row is very GTA though, not so much GTAIV, but the older ones. Some elements are so close as to be homage-worthy.

#21

Joe Anderson
15/03/11, 10:06 pm

NexT person to say anything bad about the awesome darksiders has me to answer too :)

#22

Gekidami
15/03/11, 10:10 pm

Darksiders is a child molester. :P

#23

theevilaires
15/03/11, 10:14 pm

LMAO TH? U SUCK! Should have made a PS3 bundle seeing as it got better scores :D I love it. Even if shares dropped to $.25 I wouldn’t buy a share. Hurry up and make Darksiders 2 before you go under please.

#24

lexph3re
15/03/11, 10:34 pm

I’m curious xino. Did you cancel your reservation on homefront? I remember you cancelled a reservation a while back on a game for it getting low scores in your opinion. And, its just been plaguing me if you followed suit on this one? I am just so interested

#25

DeathJynx
15/03/11, 11:21 pm

TEA how old are you? You really say some stupid shit sometimes.

#26

YoungZer0
15/03/11, 11:23 pm

@10: Wow, you don’t even know the difference between developing and publishing, nice one Erth.

#27

13yearsofAge
15/03/11, 11:58 pm

Clearly there are internal communication problems at THQ.

All trailers for this game looked boring. Piles of marketing dollars couldn’t fake enough interest from people who got to play early builds.

Then the entire premise; Korea Invades.

Is that how desperate we’ve become for bad guys to shoot?
Whats next for the sequel?

Home Front 2: Zimbabwe Rises

I just finished watching Battle for Los Angeles, and thought I would like to play that. Aliens Vs Suburb America is so X-Com

Nope…!! Koreans vs the US of A

#28

OwningXylophone
16/03/11, 12:02 am

@26

Erm, Relic are owned by THQ… So by your yardstick THQ have never developed anything, period.

#29

urbz2011
16/03/11, 12:20 am

It got low scores cuz the ppl that rated the game are COD fanboys. This game pretty good, hope to see a Homefront 2.

#30

lexph3re
16/03/11, 12:30 am

The same could be said about kz3 @29 but so far kz3 hasn’t done that poorly in review

#31

freedoms_stain
16/03/11, 12:52 am

@29, unlikely, plenty of non-CoD type shooters review favourably.

Bad Company 2 managed a metacritic of 88 despite bearing very little resemblance to CoD.

#32

DSB
16/03/11, 1:11 am

@27 So fucking true.

Zimbabwe Rises. I wish I would’ve thought of that.

#33

YoungZer0
16/03/11, 1:46 am

@28: I know.

#34

mojo
16/03/11, 7:05 am

am i the only one who thinks theres something going horribly horribly wrong if shares drop a quarter just out of a metascore from a questionable source. how professional!

#35

Heinekeno
17/03/11, 10:36 pm

Stock market is just another game, and THQ is losing slightly.

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