传统游戏公司THQ目前正努力增加收益，减少亏损，并致力于开发多款AAA级游戏。但和大多数主流发行商一样，THQ的成功多半有赖于微软，索尼和任天堂等公司打造的平台。

在本周的高盛技术和互联网大会（Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference）上，THQ首席执行官布莱恩·法雷尔（Brian Farrell）表示，掌机开发商应起带头作用，思考适应新兴运营模式的新策略，突破60美元的零售包装游戏的局限性。

Warhammer-40000-Dark-Millennium-Onlin

他认为，“我们真正需要的是支持微软，索尼和任天堂，我们已经和他们表示过了，如果真的想走在游戏行业的前列，他们就得调整自己的运营模式，提供更多的用户游戏体验。在我们看来，这才是未来用户的需求……如果有人开发一个云系统或者一个有强有力的竞争平台——它支持用户以自己喜欢的方式消费，那么这种平台就会成为最终的赢家，我们也会把游戏移植到这个平台上。”

据游戏邦了解，THQ今年准备发行39.99美元的《MX vs. ATV Alive》，而不是标准的60美元游戏。THQ表示这是一款完整版的游戏，但也会提供各种各样的免费和付费下载内容，让游戏玩家自定义游戏体验。

法雷尔表示，“这一理念旨在提高每用户人均收益，赚得更丰厚的利润，我们处在领先位置，可能成功，也可能失败，但我们认为随着时间的推移，这将是消费者消遣的方式。”

THQ最近准备发行一款大型的MMO游戏是《战锤40K：黑暗纪元Online》（Warhammer 40,000 Dark Millennium Online），它是销量突破600万份的策略类游戏《战锤40K PC》的在线版本。他认为，“MMO游戏的变革能力体现在，如果游戏运营走对路了，就有可能维持个三五年甚至十年，并且连续好几年创造大量的收交盗并引进资金流。”

法雷尔认为，对于THQ公司来说，MMO游戏具有很强大的变革能力，可以让THQ顺利进入第13个财年，甚至经历更长久的发展，游戏邦获悉该公司的MMO游戏主要THQ旗下的Vigil Games团队开发。

除此之外，法雷尔还对美国艺电（Electronic Arts）首席执行官约翰·奇泰洛（John Riccitiello）就BioWare开发的《星球大战：旧共和国》（Star Wars: The Old Republic）发表的看法进行了评论，“我很欣赏竞争者的评论，如果有50万的付费用户，他们就可以大笔赚钱，如果有100万付费用户，那么他们就是在印钞票，MMO行业就是如此，但前提是得有合适的创意。”

据游戏邦了解，法雷尔还曾在去年表示，THQ的MMO游戏《战锤40K》不需要100万的付费用户也能获得成功，“实际上，我们的最初的投资比竞争者更少……我们并不需要达到100万付费用户这种标准才能在网络上赚到钱。只要接近于这状态，我们就可以获得很多收益了。”（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

THQ: Console Makers Must ‘Adjust Business Models’ For New Consumer Experiences

THQ is in the midst of a turnaround, working on increasing revenues, slimming losses and pumping up a product pipeline with triple-A titles.

But like most major publishers, much of THQ’s continued success relies on the decisions made by platform holders Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo.

At the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference this week, THQ CEO Brian Farrell said the console makers must take the lead and start thinking about new strategies that accommodate emerging business models, and go beyond the $60 retail packaged game.

“What we really need, and we’ve been talking to them about it, is for Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, if they really want to stay at the cutting edge of the games business, they need to adjust their business models to allow for these new consumer experiences. Consumers are going to demand it, in our view,” he said.

“We’re platform agnostic,” Farrell added. “If someone else comes with some sort of a cloud system or … a competitive platform takes off that allows consumers to consume the way they want, that’s going to be the winner at the end of the day, and that’s where we’ll migrate our content.”

THQ is preparing to release MX vs. ATV Alive this year for $39.99, instead of the standard $60. THQ says it will be a full game, but the publisher will also release a wide variety of free and paid downloadable content that lets gamers customize their in-game experiences.

“The concept is to get the [average revenue per user] up and in a higher margin way,” he said. “I think we’re cutting edge here, it may or may not be successful but we think that’s the way consumers are going to consume entertainment over time.”

One of THQ’s biggest upcoming releases is the MMO Warhammer 40,000 Dark Millennium Online, a game Farrell expects to build on 6 million units shipped of THQ’s Warhammer 40,000 PC strategy games.

“What’s transformative about an MMO is if you get it right, you could have a three, five, seven, 10 year run if you really get aggressive, [and have] multiple years of revenue and cash flow from the subscriptions.” he said.

“So it could really be transformative, especially for a company like ours going into fiscal ’13 and beyond,” Farrell added. The MMO is in development at THQ-owned Vigil Games.

The executive also commented on recent remarks from Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello regarding the upcoming launch of the highly-anticipated BioWare Austin-developed Star Wars: The Old Republic.

“I loved our competitor’s comment that with … half a million … subscribers, they’re going to make great money, and then 1 million subscribers, they’re printing money, something to that effect. That’s true about the MMO business, but the caveat is that you have to get the creative right.”

Last year in an earnings call, Farrell said THQ’s Warhammer 40,000 MMO doesn’t have to reach 1 million subscribers to be successful.

He said at the time, “You can imagine that given the fact that we have a lower initial investment than some of our competitors talk about… we don’t need the kind of subscriber levels that people throw around, like a million subscribers, to make a lot of money on this title. If we get anywhere near that level, we’ll be making a lot of money.”  （Source：Gamasutra）