Homefront ships 2.6 million, THQ loses $136.1 million

Today, publisher THQ reported its earnings for its 2011 fiscal year, which ended on March 31, 2011. During the 12-month period, the company lost $136.1 million dollars on $665.3 million in revenue, an increase from a $9 million loss on $899.1 million during the year prior. January-March losses were $44.1 million on $124.2 million in revenue, a bigger loss than the $10.4 million shortcoming on $197.7 million in revenue the company posted during the same period in 2010.

CEO Brian Farrell tried to put a positive spin on the results--which were in line with its estimates--highlighting the performance of the recently released shooter Homefront. "We have already shipped 2.6 million units, a solid start for this new franchise," he said. Day-one sales of Homefront totaled 375,000 units in North America alone, with sales topping 1 million units worldwide as of March 24. The game was released in the US and Canada on March 15 to decent ratings from critics.

Farrell also revealed that this coming holiday season, THQ will release Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of its uDraw tablet. The previously released version of the accessory, which lets users create their own artwork on the Wii, shipped 1.7 million units during THQ's 2011 fiscal year. During that same period, THQ also shipped 4 million units of WWE-branded wrestling games, including SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 and WWE All Stars.

Looking ahead, THQ reaffirmed the following titles for release during the April-June quarter: Fantastic Pets (April 12), Rio (April 12), SpongeBob Squigglepants (April 12), MX vs. ATV Alive (May 10), Kung Fu Panda 2 (May 24), Red Faction: Armageddon (June 7), and UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System (June 14). Other releases set for this calendar year include Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (summer) and Saints Row: The Third (fall). The company also said it expected digital revenue to double in the coming fiscal year.