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UFC 2010 ships 2.7 million as THQ loses $30.1 million

Latest ultimate-fighting game can't keep publisher out of the red; Devil's Third due out by March 2013.

The past two weeks have seen most major game publishers issue earnings reports, including Electronic Arts, Activision, Nintendo, Sony, Square Enix, and Namco Bandai.

UFC 2010 Undisputed's sales didn't pack the same punch as UFC 2009 Undisputed's.

UFC 2010 Undisputed's sales didn't pack the same punch as UFC 2009 Undisputed's.

Today, it was THQ's turn to offer its financial summary for the three months ending June 30, 2010. Suffice it to say that it wasn't the company's best quarter. The Southern California-based studio reported net sales of $149.4 million, versus $243.5 million during the same period in 2009. That resulted in a $30.1 million quarterly loss for THQ, down from the $6.4 million profit it eked out last year, thanks in large part to massive sales of Red Faction: Guerrilla and UFC 2009 Undisputed.

Unfortunately, sales of critically acclaimed UFC 2010 Undisputed didn't pack the punch of its predecessor. Amid the technicolor hubbub of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, THQ warned investors that though the mixed martial arts sequel had shipped 2.6 million units, sell-through results were disappointing. Today, THQ upped that number to 2.7 million units shipped for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3--a far cry from the 3.5 million units UFC 2009 Undisputed sold through. A PSP edition of the game will ship on September 7.

THQ also used its report to set a release window--albeit a wide one--for The Devil's Third, the upcoming game from Ninja Gaiden creator Tomonobu Itagaki's newly founded Valhalla Game Studios. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 title will now be released sometime during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013.

THQ also offered guidance for its entire fiscal year, which ends at the end of March 2011. The company expects net sales of $845 million to $865 million and "roughly breakeven" earnings. The news did not please investors, as THQ stock fell over 3 percent in after-hours trading. That was on top of the 4 percent it lost during the day following a downgrade by Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia from "buy" to "neutral." The company's shares ended the trading day at $4.38, and were down to $4.24 as of press time.

53 Comments

  • NejiKusa

    Posted Sep 14, 2010 2:33 pm GMT

    Devils' Third is gonna be sweet.

  • tarugista

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 10:49 pm GMT

    @rangera "Metro 2033 is a original game"

    its gamers like you who inspires developers to create shooters over an over again.

  • GAMERVeiwer

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 2:38 pm GMT

    all they need to do was make at least the Submission system work right and stable online gaming its really not that hard to fix..in my eyes THQ is doing the same thing they did to WWE:SvR Series its always a down grade and they think its incredible ..i think THQ needs new game Designers & developers because making games frustrating repulses people to play .

  • monster637

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 11:18 am GMT

    There problem was that what ever there problem with there online lagg issues , they refused to fix for UFc 09 and instead of better , It was horrbly worse for ufc 10 and every forum user screamed it, There servers or net code or what ever , Walmart servers are just garbage !!! i love thq games, just there online work is just garbage....................cant wait for saintsrow 3

  • feleas

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 10:58 am GMT

    NOOOOO!!! THQ has to recover just long enough to release W40K: DM, and maintain its servers! lol

  • rangeraa

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 10:49 am GMT

    @tarugista

    no good original games? Really? Metro2033 was an amazing game.

  • Crasical

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 10:05 am GMT

    @MoonBased
    i lol'd

  • Damnation_6

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 8:37 am GMT

    Hang in there THQ, hang in there.

    This not evil publisher has to live damnit.

  • 7rooper

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 8:32 am GMT

    Devil´s third looks interesting. Why to compare it to MGS rising?

  • MoonBased

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 8:26 am GMT

    Metal Gear - Rising makes this Devils Third game look like a $20 blow job from a one legged hooker.

  • First_Descent

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 7:48 am GMT

    ah well too bad.

  • ThAdEa82

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 7:20 am GMT

    wallrunners lol

  • tarugista

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 7:13 am GMT

    Dear THQ, even a 5 year old knows the real solution to your problems. CREATE BETTER ORIGINAL GAMES!

  • N0tYrBeezin

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 6:38 am GMT

    If this were a PC game, THQ will be blaming piracy for the poor sales, no doubt.

  • Heshertonfist

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 6:14 am GMT

    THQ never seems to keep success steady for some reason. Reminds me of Midway years ago, a few good releases then they drop the ball.

  • seanbrandowen

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 6:00 am GMT

    In the long run I think sony will not be sorry they bet the farm on blue ray...No Sales loss here.I am so sick of people saying but it is just a back up..backup Chinese retailer...1 DOLLA GAME.

  • takreem95

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 3:14 am GMT

    @positivebalance and others
    What about SC Conviction? And Heavy Rain? Devils Third is just less then three years. Those two were about four years.

  • Fragazine

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 2:32 am GMT

    Devil's Third looks like it won't make it into Australia unscathed.

  • The_Gaming_Baby

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 2:25 am GMT

    That was ranked matches I was talking about, I can find a player match but its laggy as hell.

  • The_Gaming_Baby

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 2:24 am GMT

    UFC 2010, as good as it was, was a letdown. I cant actually find an online game which really annoys me, but the games biggest problem is the submission system, the CPU has an unfair advantage and it ruins fights too often.

  • mattyphil

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 2:11 am GMT

    What did THQ expect ? The UFC 2010 was a huge let down ! Im finished with THQ games !

  • sakshamH

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 2:09 am GMT

    I guess its a good thing, they are taking time to make it awesome

  • drummerdickens

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 2:05 am GMT

    I won a copy of UFC 2010 and eBay'd it straight away.

    Glad I did.

  • JillV

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 1:02 am GMT

    "THQ also used its report to set a release window--albeit a wide one--for The Devil's Third, the upcoming game from Ninja Gaiden creator Tomonobu Itagaki's newly founded Valhalla Game Studios. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 title will now be released sometime during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013."

    2013! They might as well release it for the next gen. consoles if the game it's gonna take that long to make.

  • Gen007

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 12:56 am GMT

    daaaaammmmm 2013 get outta here! Game looks amazing but theres noy way i can keep my interest for that long they really should have waited to announce it closer to release.

    Also was expected from UFC 2010. Gave us the same game with an online mode that was just as bad as the first if not worse because of the used game crap they pulled. hopefully this will put some companies off that idea.

  • positivebalance

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 12:20 am GMT

    UFC 2010 was ass. and holy hell, 2013 release date? why do they even bother mentioning it ths early?

  • collingtonuk

    Posted Aug 10, 2010 12:16 am GMT

    Same game again, and now people won';t be able to trade it in later with their 'on-line play charge' that's been introduced. Lets hope EA's offerings bomb too that use it and maybe we will get something that is really new and innovative from them.
    We can dream.

  • BK-Sleeper

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 10:00 pm GMT

    Let UFC 2010 be a lesson. You can't pack the same game with a different color scheme and track list and expect better returns.

  • SDBusDriver1979

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 9:09 pm GMT

    That was an amazing trailer; guns, swords, guns, dropping from great heights guns, swords, scar, boobs, sword, guns, running on walls, rocket launcher while playing to classical music.

  • chaldoboy14

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 9:05 pm GMT

    Well I'm 110% against the way THQ keeps releasing the same crap Smackdown game year after year with little upgrades, and well since HCTP, downgrades actually. The upgrades they're making now are downgrades to features we once had in 03.

    Now I know this is UFC and it's a different game, but they're pretty much doing the same thing to this series so I'm glad they lost. Maybe they'll stop being like Madden and actually UPGRADE the game.

  • ryan_sr97c_1

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 9:00 pm GMT

    i hafta agree with monson's post... but i guess like any other company (be it a gaming company or not) at the end of the day its all dollars and cents... for the most part i feel that developers side with us end users since they themselves are usually gamers to but combine that with office politics... well lets just say striking while the iron is hot requires a little amount of thinking too

  • SolidTy

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 8:58 pm GMT


    It's a rough economy, no matter how lucrative your game franchises are apparently no one is safe.

  • monson21502

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 7:42 pm GMT

    thq thq.... when will you ever learn? when you make a pretty good game take your time and try to make the next game even better. dont just release the game again year after year with little upgrades.

  • XboxGuy1537

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 7:17 pm GMT

    Glad to see they are taking their time on UFC 3.

  • TrapMuzik92

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 7:15 pm GMT

    Learned my lesson from this year...online play is god awful.

  • Andrew_Xavier

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 6:51 pm GMT

    I'm telling you, it was the online code crap that prevented people from buying 10

  • dagrimmreepa

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 6:30 pm GMT

    UFC 10 is no where near to being a significant improvement over 09.
    I bought 10 cos I didn't get 09, but even then, I only got it cos it was $30 new in my Bestbuy (Canada), I saw it and was like "why not?"

  • King_Gamer19

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 5:43 pm GMT

    I glad they realized this isn't a every year game They have to treat this like EA does Fight Night one about ever 2-3 years

  • maaly81

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 5:20 pm GMT

    I liked the demo for 2010 but just got the first UFC game for like $6....I like it but it has waaay ot many flaws especially in career mode which could have been way better...reading some posts the submission system hasnt changed...I really dont like the submission system and how in career mode your guy is like rated 25 and has a overall attribute rating of 25...and you have to fight guys who are rated like 75 in attributes and above.

  • jl0pez

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 5:19 pm GMT

    Part of the reason sales were not as good as 2009 was them charging people for online especially when no one knew. I'm not a fan of EA but at least they told people ahead of time they were gonna charge for online play. Now with Smackdown vs RAW 2011 coming out I can only imagine how that's gonna sell now after the last few years of diappointing sales in that series. Things don't look good for THQ.

  • syam32245340

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 5:11 pm GMT

    so much blood! so gory!

  • syam32245340

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 5:09 pm GMT

    2013? better announce it next year lol

  • Nills

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 5:05 pm GMT

    I hope they stay in business, my dads telecom company provides service for them and they are a big customer.

  • DomaineStickem

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 4:39 pm GMT

    well, now and days most sports/fighting game are not about quality.. these companies just make MINOR adjustments and expect consumers to keep paying 60 bucks a piece... 60 bucks for a game is ridicules, and when there is close to no improvement made in the sequels, people dont want to pay all that money for the same o sh**... prime example ufc 09 and 10

  • thorughfire

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 4:34 pm GMT

    I refused to buy the second game because it pisses me off that they didnt fix the submission system at all and Ratings are not realistic to the amount of the fighters skill.

  • Keitha313

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 4:31 pm GMT

    Ouch... Think someone should as THQ if they are mad.

  • Tripwolf

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 4:17 pm GMT

    It has nothing to do with the game - it's the fact that it's not as shiny, new and different as the first game. The hype train was way bigger for that one and the fact that nobody had ever played a good mma game up until that point was the cherry.

  • anthonycg

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 4:04 pm GMT

    Auto-block killed this game. The AI should never help you in a fighting game. Geez... Next they'll add in auto-submit buttons too...
    Oh wait EA is already doing that...

  • NinjaDragon81

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 3:56 pm GMT

    It's the way the CPU is impossible to shake when it submits you in ufc 2010 that caused the low sales ... trust me ...

  • Coolyfett

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 3:45 pm GMT

    EA Sports is loving this news. Their firm saw the potential for pro fighting games,some gamers are interested in the MMA game that EA is dropping. Coolyfett may pick up UFC for the Almighty Amazing PSP, it looks like an interesting. Coolyfett may enjoy that like Fight Night 3.

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    • Publisher(s): THQ
    • Developer(s): Yuke's
    • Genre: Action
    • Release: May 25, 2010 (US)
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