If I counted them correctly, THQ published 12 games the past year. Here are the games and respectively sale figures:

• de Blob 2, ~270K
• Kung Fu Panda 2, ~340K
• Homefront, ~2.19M
• MX vs. ATV: Alive, ~480K
• Red Faction: Armageddon, ~480K
• Rio, ~240K
• Saints Row: The Third, ~3.48M
• SpongeBob SquigglePants, ~310K
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, ~690K
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution, ~60K
• WWE All Stars, ~860K
• WWE '12, ~1.79M

source: vgchartz.com

With only three games breaking the 1M barrier and two other games breaking the 500K barrier, I say THQ had a bad year. With already a few studios closed in 2011, things are not going well. Darksiders II and Metro: Last Light are looking like the possible money-makers for 2012, so THQ lies on their success. If both fail, then the situation is grim for the two-decade old publisher.

What do you guys think?

Those numbers look good to me.. I didn't know every major video game sells over a million copies nowadays. Just the really really big ones.

@AhmadMetallic: I believe the average number of sales for a game to turn profit is around the 1M mark.

I think on their last earnings call Space Marine had sold over 1m.  Now there are rumors going around that they've cancelled their 2014 line up in the prospect of being bought out.  :-(

I don't trust a site that pluralizes with a z.

Has vgchartz ever really been a reliable source? I highly doubt that they're really on the brink of going bankrupt.
 
Anyway, I'm looking forward to MLL - I really like what I've played of the original...I probably should go back to playing it before MLL is released...

@AhmadMetallic: I believe the average number of sales for a game to turn profit is around the 1M mark.

Homefront was another THQ game that came out last year. According to Vgchartz it sold over 2 million, so that's another relatively successful game for THQ.

@AhmadMetallic said:

@Winternet said:

@AhmadMetallic: I believe the average number of sales for a game to turn profit is around the 1M mark.

If that's true then EA must be annually flushing money down the toilet with the 20+ games they publish a year

Well, all the sport games they publish can make up for it.

@BeachThunder said:

Has vgchartz ever really been a reliable source? I highly doubt that they're really on the brink of going bankrupt. Anyway, I'm looking forward to MLL - I really like what I've played of the original...I probably should go back to playing it before MLL is released...

I am looking forward to last light soooo much... I beat Metro 2033 like 3 times, I might go in for a fourth before last light comes out.

also VGchartz is never a reliable resource

THQ has always been a third tier publisher, I'd say this year has been pretty great for them.

Has vgchartz ever really been a reliable source? I highly doubt that they're really on the brink of going bankrupt.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to MLL - I really like what I've played of the original...I probably should go back to playing it before MLL is released...

Numbers look fine to me for THQ not being as big as EA or Activision. On SR3 alone they've made over $100 million (I'm not sure how much publishers get on $60 games, so this is a very rough guesstimate).

@BeachThunder said:

Has vgchartz ever really been a reliable source? I highly doubt that they're really on the brink of going bankrupt.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to MLL - I really like what I've played of the original...I probably should go back to playing it before MLL is released...

A google search reveals that MLL is Major League Lacrosse. Is that what you meant? Because nothing comes to mind...

You need sales numbers direct from the company really. I think VGChartz pull them out of a hat or something.

@SuperWristBands said:

@BeachThunder said:

Has vgchartz ever really been a reliable source? I highly doubt that they're really on the brink of going bankrupt.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to MLL - I really like what I've played of the original...I probably should go back to playing it before MLL is released...

A google search reveals that MLL is Major League Lacrosse. Is that what you meant? Because nothing comes to mind...

Um, yes...yes that was what I meant...  or maybe it was that one game that was mentioned above that has the acronym MLL...

I'm relatively sure all of those movie tie in games as well as the SpongeBob games don't cost a whole lot to make. 

@AhmadMetallic said:

@Winternet said:

@AhmadMetallic: I believe the average number of sales for a game to turn profit is around the 1M mark.

If that's true then EA must be annually flushing money down the toilet with the 20+ games they publish a year

Well, all the sport games they publish can make up for it.

@Jimbo: Well, is the only place that I know where I can find these numbers. If there are others, please tell me.

Well they published Homefront earlier this year too, and despite the game being pretty lousy I remember it selling well and THQ calling it a success. I've also heard rumblings of a Space Marine sequel, so it must have at least turned some profit for them. They didn't exactly have a great year, but it doesn't seem too dire either.

That, and most of the games they published this year were crap. If Red Faction hadn't been such a bastardization of what made Guerilla good, it would've sold better. Maybe that'll send a message to THQ

@AhmadMetallic: Sure, but I bet that from their 20+ games published, 60/70% sell over a million copies.

@spilledmilkfactory: Yeah, I forgot. I've add it. But, the studio was closed even though the game sold over 2M.

THQ is far from being as big as EA and Activision having a few games sell more than a million is a big improvement from last year from what can remember. I think the figures aren't as sexy as the ones we are used to hear from EA and Activision so you think THQ had a bad year.

Kung Fu panda came out?

And they only sold 60k for the third dawn of war 2 game?

@spilledmilkfactory said:

...and most of the games they published this year were crap. If Red Faction hadn't been such a bastardization of what made Guerilla good, it would've sold better. Maybe that'll send a message to THQ

THIS

@Winternet said:

@Jimbo: Well, is the only place that I know where I can find these numbers. If there are others, please tell me.

I just don't think you can get accurate numbers unless the company just comes out and says how many copies of x they have sold, unfortunately. Even then they try and massage the numbers half the time to make it look like their game is the hottest thing in town (this is where the myth that Mass Effect is some massively successful franchise comes from).

@Mr_Skeleton: Darksiders, UFC, Metro 2033 kind of balances with WWE, Saints Row and Homefront.

@amir90 said:

Kung Fu panda came out?

And they only sold 60k for the third dawn of war 2 game?

Starcraft 2 probably was a big factor for why it didn't do as well. It was 2011's 2010 game of the year, after all.

That, and most of the games they published this year were crap. If Red Faction hadn't been such a bastardization of what made Guerilla good, it would've sold better. Maybe that'll send a message to THQ

@AhmadMetallic said:

@Winternet said:

@AhmadMetallic said:

@Winternet said:

@AhmadMetallic: I believe the average number of sales for a game to turn profit is around the 1M mark.

If that's true then EA must be annually flushing money down the toilet with the 20+ games they publish a year

Well, all the sport games they publish can make up for it.

That's no business model

That's a spa-.... ah, never mind.

@BeachThunder said:

Has vgchartz ever really been a reliable source? I highly doubt that they're really on the brink of going bankrupt. Anyway, I'm looking forward to MLL - I really like what I've played of the original...I probably should go back to playing it before MLL is released...

I am looking forward to last light soooo much... I beat Metro 2033 like 3 times, I might go in for a fourth before last light comes out.

Those seem like decent numbers to me

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=459014 ?

Well according to this, THQ is nearly dead.

"I don't think people quite understand.

This is it.

They canceled all projects targeted for 2014. They only exist right now for the purposes of trying to sell the company."

@Butano said:

@amir90 said:

Kung Fu panda came out?

And they only sold 60k for the third dawn of war 2 game?

Starcraft 2 probably was a big factor for why it didn't do as well. It was 2011's 2010 game of the year, after all.

Nope. You will find out that most 40k fans hate starcraft. It's a niche game and it's a 2nd expansion. Those always sell less. Also the previous two games didn't sell that much either.

@Jimbo said:

@Winternet said:

@Jimbo: Well, is the only place that I know where I can find these numbers. If there are others, please tell me.

I just don't think you can get accurate numbers unless the company just comes out and says how many copies of x they have sold, unfortunately. Even then they try and massage the numbers half the time to make it look like their game is the hottest thing in town (this is where the myth that Mass Effect is some massively successful franchise comes from).

That's why that, for the purpose of discussion, vgchartz comes to me as the better source for sale figures.

@amir90 said:

Kung Fu panda came out?

And they only sold 60k for the third dawn of war 2 game?

I don't think VGChartz tracks sales of digital distribution, nor do they keep track of certain retail stores like Walmart.

THQ's stock has also plummeted and is in danger of being delisted. It has been trading under a dollar for awhile now.

@Butano said:

@amir90 said:

Kung Fu panda came out?

And they only sold 60k for the third dawn of war 2 game?

Starcraft 2 probably was a big factor for why it didn't do as well. It was 2011's 2010 game of the year, after all.

Nope. You will find out that most 40k fans hate starcraft. It's a niche game and it's a 2nd expansion. Those always sell less. Also the previous two games didn't sell that much either.

@phrosnite said:

@Butano said:

@amir90 said:

Kung Fu panda came out?

And they only sold 60k for the third dawn of war 2 game?

Starcraft 2 probably was a big factor for why it didn't do as well. It was 2011's 2010 game of the year, after all.

Nope. You will find out that most 40k fans hate starcraft. It's a niche game and it's a 2nd expansion. Those always sell less. Also the previous two games didn't sell that much either.

I am a fan of both series, and so are most of my friends.

Maybe that rumor that was being talked about in the other thread is true then. I like THQ and that's sad that a studio with so many good IP's is going down. As long as Vigil, Relic and Volition get to keep making games somewhere else I'll be okay with this.

@addictedtopinescent said:

Maybe that rumor that was being talked about in the other thread is true then. I like THQ and that's sad that a studio with so many good IP's is going down. As long as Vigil, Relic and Volition get to keep making games somewhere else I'll be okay with this.

Yeap. These studios must be saved. If not, this will be a huge bummer.

@Winternet said:

@AhmadMetallic: I believe the average number of sales for a game to turn profit is around the 1M mark.

I think that depends a lot more on the scope of the game, like de Blob 2 probably didn't need 1M to make a profit, but like Homefront probably did. But yeah, studios need those "AAA" titles to break 1M in order to pay for the smaller unknown titles that may or may not make a profit.

@Buckwatters said:

@Winternet said:

@AhmadMetallic: I believe the average number of sales for a game to turn profit is around the 1M mark.

I think that depends a lot more on the scope of the game, like de Blob 2 probably didn't need 1M to make a profit, but like Homefront probably did. But yeah, studios need those "AAA" titles to break 1M in order to pay for the smaller unknown titles that may or may not make a profit.

That's why I said "average number". Homefront sold more than 2M copies and still the studio was closed.

@Winternet: VGChartz pulls their sales figures out of thin air. They're not reliable in the least.

@AhmadMetallic: I believe the average number of sales for a game to turn profit is around the 1M mark.

You people need to buy more Warhammer 40k game.

@ll_Exile_ll said:

@Winternet said:

@AhmadMetallic: I believe the average number of sales for a game to turn profit is around the 1M mark.

Maybe it takes 1M to turn a profit on games like Homefront and Saints Row, but I'm pretty sure things like Spongebob SquigglePants and Kung Fu Panda 2 cost far less to develop and can in fact turn a profit with far fewer sales.

Again, that's why I used the word average. Jeez.

And if Homefront needed 1M copies to turn a profit, why were they closed even though they sold more than 2M?

@Winternet said:

@ll_Exile_ll said:

@Winternet said:

@AhmadMetallic: I believe the average number of sales for a game to turn profit is around the 1M mark.

Maybe it takes 1M to turn a profit on games like Homefront and Saints Row, but I'm pretty sure things like Spongebob SquigglePants and Kung Fu Panda 2 cost far less to develop and can in fact turn a profit with far fewer sales.

Again, that's why I used the word average. Jeez.

And if Homefront needed 1M copies to turn a profit, why were they closed even though they sold more than 2M?

because the studio (Kaos) were a bunch of shitty devs who always made shitty games. Homefront succeeded because of the massive marketing push by THQ, not because the game was any good. In fact, it was quite shit.

So THQ shuttered Kaos and moved Homefront 2 to the Timesplitters guys.

Retribution only sold 60K? Surely that's just retail and doesn't include Steam, right?

@ajamafalous: I'm pretty sure Steam never releases sale figures. But, I don't expect it to be more than 40/60K