Strong Homefront Sales May Save Kaos Studio

[Andy Chalk]

Strong Homefront Sales May Save Kaos Studio

Homefront [http://www.amazon.com/Homefront-Xbox-360/dp/B003Q53VZC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299172003&sr=8-1] is the most pre-ordered game in THQ history but whether it will be enough to save Kaos Studios is still an open question.

In January, employees at the New York-based THQ [http://www.kaosstudios.com/] recently opened a 400-person-capacity studio in the city.

The decision hasn't yet been made but with the release of Homefront looming, THQ Vice President Danny Bilson said the move remains a possibility that hinges largely on the success of the game. "Y'know, I think that the power of the guys in that studio who really built this game - I really have tremendous respect for them," he told Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-03-03-uncertain-future-ahead-for-homefront-dev].

"I tell them the more successful a game is, the better the economics are for the franchise, and that will help to influence what we do. So we haven't made any decisions at the moment. That's the truth. We're going to look at how it goes. We don't want to relocate people just to relocate people," he explained. "A lot of it has to do with how successful it is and how strong that core team comes out on the other side. I love those guys. I've worked very closely with them on this game for years. There's nothing disrespectful going on at all. We're trying to do what's best for everyone."

Bilson said Homefront has already racked up 200,000 pre-orders in the U.S. alone, making it the most pre-ordered game in THQ history - and a hopeful sign for the future of Kaos. Homefront comes out on March 15 for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.


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[Azaraxzealot]

basically... BUY THIS GAME OR PEOPLE WILL LOSE JOBS!
doesn't look too bad, i may buy it anyways.

 

[Woodsey]

RPS's single player preview was pretty dire, and I see no appeal in the multiplayer particularly.

 

[snowman6251]

I don't know why but I feel like THQ generally pumps out lower quality games than other mega-publishers. Everything I play by them leaves me disappointed. From Darksiders to Red Faction, I don't know why, but I never really love their games. They're all "meh". Also not sure about Homefront yet. The concept intrigues me but there are just SO many shooters and the whole tirade is getting old. I want to play a different kind of game. Swords. Make more sword games.

 

[Andy Chalk]

I like the idea of Homefront precisely because it is a "different" game, on paper at least. On the give us money front, I'd love to pre-order but the shooter market is so heavily saturated and undifferentiated these days that no demo means no money. I might still pick it up at full pop if I hear it's the greatest thing since Carmack and Romero got together, but a blind pre-order is a bit too much of a commitment.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Well, they aren't getting my support.

I buy a lot of THQ games, but have no interest in this.

It'll sell pretty well, I reckon. Whether or not it hits the million mark, is up in the air.

 

[Baresark]

I like how this game is looking, though I don't give damn about multiplayer in games like this usually. It's ridiculous that this games success determines the fate of the studio. what does THQ determine as success exactly I wonder? I mean, if your idea of success in CoD:Blops, then that studio doesn't stand a chance. I mean, it's really relative. I don't know what the Homefront budget is. That really determines success. With pre-orders, they have accumulated nearly $10 million in guaranteed sales. If they were to sell A million copies (not considered successful by todays AAA publishers(yes that is fuckin' stupid)), the would bring in nearly $50 Million.

When all that is figured out, it still makes it more worth while for them to move where they get a tax break. That is the cold harsh reality of the US. High corporate taxes, subsidizing selecting industries, and then everyone has to outsource. Just another example of how big government can ruin something. The worst part, if the American develops move to Canada, they have to pay income tax to Canada and the US. I feel sorry for this company, I think Homefront is gonna be awesome. Some of the people who have previewed it call it the Military Action Scifi FPS equivalent of Half Life 2 (the comment was made about the story and it's depth).

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Well, they aren't getting my support.

I buy a lot of THQ games, but have no interest in this.

Same here.

For some reason the "Let's Invade America" plot seems to immediately turn me off from a game. Plus reading RPS's article on it (as pointed out to me by a previous poster) really didn't help.

 

[googleback]

I have no idea if i'll like this, it looks good but generic, I like the theme and the story will make or break it for me.
reviews please!

 

[Jonny49]

I've kind of run out of steam with FPS's recently, I still play a lot of them but I have no desire to run out and get another, especially one that looks as generic as Homefront.

None the less, I hope the game does well enough so the studio doesn't collapse.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

I don't know why but I feel like THQ generally pumps out lower quality games than other mega-publishers. Everything I play by them leaves me disappointed. From Darksiders to Red Faction, I don't know why, but I never really love their games. They're all "meh". Also not sure about Homefront yet. The concept intrigues me but there are just SO many shooters and the whole tirade is getting old. I want to play a different kind of game. Swords. Make more sword games.

THQ is not a mega-publisher. they consider "good sales" to be anything about 1 million to 2 million as opposed to EA or Activision which consider "good sales" to be around 6 or 7 million.

of course their games are "lower quality" they're more akin to Valve (let's face it, source games aren't beautiful) than they are to Activision.

 

[tmujir955]

I'm sure a good chunk of those are people preordering for the TF2 hat.

 

[Awexsome]

I'm sure a good chunk of those are people preordering for the TF2 hat.

Bingo.

I don't have any interest in the single player plot but I have some real hope in the multiplayer section of it. Putting big "WANTED" signs on the best players on the enemy team and using the in battle reward system to get your vehicles and airstrikes instead of teammates running to be the first one to grab it at spawn.

 

[risenbone]

well then THQ or whoever is in charge of the advertising/marketting campaign stop telling me how close to potential reallity the back story is and tell me more about how the game actually plays.

Serioussly I don't care if an EMP could wipe out half of America nor do I care if some whacked out fear monger professor who wrote 1 book on the subject and who I never heard of before you trotted him out at some rally to promote your game agrees with the timeline you laid out in your backstory (which he will cause you just paid a guy to basicly promote his own book while making you seem a touch defensive).

None of that really matters what matters is how does the game actually play. Because most of what I'm hearing from you right now is all about people saying nuh uh that couldn't happen and you saying uh huh it will and if thats all you have to talk about I'm going to have to guess the gameplay isn't all that great or different from the stuff already out there and your biggest selling point is that it's pretty much more of the same just set in America of the near future rather than the present middle east or Europe in the second world war.

 

[Grey_Focks]

The multiplayer certainly looks interesting.....it's on my "Get at some point, probably used" list, but that's better than nothing, right?

 

[James Raynor]

I bet a good portion of those pre-orders are from the teamfortress promo hat.

 

[mattaui]

People are really throwing down $50 for a TF2 hat? Last time I checked, Steam bills you for your preorder right then and there, but I suppose there's a way to cancel it - I've never ordered a game that I ended up trying to cancel.

I haven't preordered it, just because my preorder queue is a bit full right now and I've got no reason to - when I want it, it'll be on Steam.

 

[snowman6251]

I don't know why but I feel like THQ generally pumps out lower quality games than other mega-publishers. Everything I play by them leaves me disappointed. From Darksiders to Red Faction, I don't know why, but I never really love their games. They're all "meh". Also not sure about Homefront yet. The concept intrigues me but there are just SO many shooters and the whole tirade is getting old. I want to play a different kind of game. Swords. Make more sword games.

THQ is not a mega-publisher. they consider "good sales" to be anything about 1 million to 2 million as opposed to EA or Activision which consider "good sales" to be around 6 or 7 million.

of course their games are "lower quality" they're more akin to Valve (let's face it, source games aren't beautiful) than they are to Activision.

The difference being that Valve's games are almost all great, at least in my opinion. I don't really know what it is about THQ but they just don't do it for me.

 

[Shotty McNotty]

This game really has a chance to be good, but as stated before, it is THQ. While the company is the Lionsgate of gaming, the writing and production value looks very solid with a good multiplayer setup, but with the obvious over shadowing of the Call of Duty and Battlefield franchises, this may end up being a filler just as epic did with Bulletstorm very recently. I usually do not pre-order games, but after watching the trailers I fell into the inevitable trap and can only hope that it was worth all my schilling's worth. Kaos deserves a win!

 

[Gralian]

People are really throwing down $50 for a TF2 hat?

Don't be too surprised. People spent hundreds just for the Hat of Extraordinary Wealth and Respect during the Great Steam Treasure Hunt. The hat craze is as big as achievement hunting nowadays.

Sadly, i can see sales going down the toilet. The zeitgeist for the times is "damnit i don't like cod clones / modern day shooters / hate gritty brown realism" so i can't see this going well for Kaos. Maybe if they sold this two or three years ago they would've done alright.