THQ Surfaces: South Park Delayed, Darksiders II Dated
THQ's tightrope dance-battle against Death while suspended over an active volcano continues. In short, THQ's doing better than expected, but it still lost another $50 million last quarter. So then, what's the forecast for the company that already took a chainsaw blade to Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium's massively multiplayer bits? Well, there are some ups and downs to be sure. Mostly, though, we're looking at an ugly, undifferentiated heap of questions.
First, though, the concrete facts: Obsidian's South Park RPG won't be bringing the show's patented mix of poop jokes and profound wisdom to your hard drive until early 2013. Previously, it was scheduled to launch in the second half of 2012. Darksiders II, meanwhile, is setting its scythes on an August 14th date after a quality-focused delay earlier this year. Once that happens, Metro: Last Light will take over as THQ's promotional poster child, which bodes rather well for its chances of getting released.
I wish I could say the same for Guillermo del Toro's inSane and the next project from Left 4 Dead creators Turtle Rock Studios. Both games were briefly mentioned during a conference call, but their futures aren't exactly clear at the moment. And seeing as THQ also unceremoniously hacked high-profile console-exclusive Devil's Third from its lineup today, it's pretty safe to say that, well, no one is safe.
At the very least, we won't have to wait too terribly long for a bit of the haze to clear. THQ's betting the farm on Darksiders II being its next goose that lays golden water wings - or maybe just a whole boat. Regardless, it's sink or swim, but Darksiders' chances seem pretty good based on the quality and sales of its predecessor and a release date just ahead of the holiday game avalanche. So I'll cross the fingers that I don't already have crossed for, like, a billion other things (see: Half-Life 2: Ep 3 ever coming out, Mirror's Edge getting a sequel, Elder Scrolls Online somehow being good, etc) and hope for the best. This industry really makes me wish I had more fingers.