2011 definitely flourished for some folks in the game industry, but not everyone saw profit from their game sales.  Take THQ.  The company definitely had a diverse set of releases last year, between its popular WWE games, new Red Faction and Warhammer action titles, and Saints Row the Third.  However, not all of them were financially viable, and it resulted in the cancellation of various franchises and closure of a few studios.  Will 2012 be the year the company bounces back?

THQ definitely put forward an initiative last year with its line-up.  Red Faction Armageddon ended up being a terrific sleeper title for some folks, despite the fact it wasn't open world like the previously released Guerrilla.  Homefront tried to keep pace with the Call of Duty series, packing an alternative storyline where the Koreans overran the United States.  And Warhammer: Space Marine introduced a new kind of game to the long-running strategy series, opting instead for straight up action.

Unfortunately, not every game was a financial hit.  Armageddon sold less than expected, resulting in THQ shelving the series; MX Vs. ATV Alive bombed with its new downloadable content strategy, resulting in the closure of THQ Phoenix and the abrupt stoppage of that popular racing series; Homefront sold well, but not well enough to save KAOS Studios, which has been closed down; de Blob 2, despite its innovative gameplay and SyFy Kids tie-in, failed to save the developers at Blue Tongue from closure; Warhammer: Space Marine has been holding steady with a million units sold, though THQ obviously expected more; and Saints Row: The Third isn't doing half bad.  And let's not forget the WWE games, as both the simulation WWE 12 and the arcade-style WWE All Stars did reasonably well.

Not to mention the fact that industry pro Kevin Dent has already begun spreading rumors that the company has canned all of its 2014 projects, and reportedly put itself up for sale -- this just after the news that it opened up a Montreal office, working alongside Patrice Desilets of Assassin's Creed fame on a new project.  Nothing has been confirmed, but Dent's rumor mill has been swirling like crazy.  And the sales numbers don't lie, sadly.

But to be honest, we have this slight feeling that it's going to get better.  The company is focusing less on gimmicky style family games (the uDraw series, for example -- the entire team has been dismissed since its release, and in-stock items have been slashed in price) and more on its AAA titles for the next couple of years. Granted, some of these cancellations may be a slight bit hard to take, particularly the dismissal of the in-the-works Warhammer MMO.  But what remains is still a strong line-up that's bound to push the company back into the green.  Here's what to expect...

About the Author

Robert Workman

Senior Writer/Editor

Robert has years of experience in the video game industry, writing for such sites as AOL GameDaily, PlanetXbox360 and Comic Book Resources.  He can also outdrink you any day of the week.  And twice on Sunday.  Follow him at www.twitter.com/thedcd.