THQ has six months to live, predicts Take-Two boss

THQ won’t be around much longer, and it’s because their games are rubbish. That’s basically what Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick told attendees at the MIT Business in Gaming conference last week.

“THQ’s strategy was licensed properties, first and foremost. License stuff from other people, whether it’s UFC or WWE or a motion picture property, and make a game around that,” Zelnick said, adding that his own company hadn’t exactly had a great year either, but was doing okay in the longer term. “And our approach, since we took over the company, is 100 percent owned intellectual property.”

The big problem with licensed properties, he said, was that publishers are forced to renegotiate these every time they put out a new title, which decreases profit margins. Also, licensed brands have a bit of a reputation for being a bit, you know, crap.

“The most important difference is quality. Take-Two has the highest quality ratings among third-party publishers, according to Metacritic and most people in the industry. Quality really, really, really matters. THQ has had some good games, but their quality levels aren’t even remotely … the quality hasn’t measured up,” he explained.

“Strategy didn’t work and the execution was bad. To put it another way: the food was no good and the portions were small. THQ won’t be around in six months.”

THQ, of course, has a totally different take on the situation. In a statement to Joystiq that comes with a complimentary hair flip, the company said that “Obviously, Mr. Zelnick’s perception of THQ is outdated and inaccurate. His comments are irresponsible and false. Perhaps he would be better off commenting on his own business.”

Look, whatever happens, happens – but let’s just make sure Darksiders II ships first.