THQ: Kinect/Move games are cheap

By Fred Dutton Published 22 September, 2010

Don't expect motion-control blockbusters.

Games for PlayStation Move and Microsoft's Kinect are for a mass market, and therefore much cheaper and quicker to develop than core titles, according to THQ.

Discussing plans for Sony and Microsoft's new motion controllers at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference in New York, THQ CEO Brain Farrell said, "They are more mass-market type games. The cost of games for Kinect and Move is a fraction of what it is for the stuff we showed for you on the screen [Red Faction: Armageddon and Homefront].

"They are just simpler forms of game where it's more based on your movement and the input device; not on fantastic art and very complex animations. That's the other reason we like those two products – the cost of development is much lower than for the other core products."

Microsoft might disagree. It was at pains to show off more core-orientated Kinect titles at the Tokyo Game Show last week, including Codename D from Suda51 and Project Draco from Panzer Dragoon director Yukio Futatsugi.

THQ has announced two games for Kinect so far: The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout, available from 4th November, and UFC Trainer, which hits the mat on 1st January 2011.

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (32) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • MegaCadet #1 2 years ago

    Yea, I was in the crowd of Kinect haters. But after TGS I can't help but want Kinect to do everything but fail.

  • azazel_fallenangel #2 2 years ago

    On a different note, has anyone else noticed this was posted at 22.22, on the 22nd?
    No?
    Just me then...

  • danathjo #3 2 years ago

    Love me some Saints Row but no matter what I just couldn't take THQ's views seriously on the gaming industry, no matter how much sense or nonsense they chatter.

  • Machetazo #4 2 years ago

    Not a great attitude. But, no matter, I'll bear it in mind, next time I'm browsing for games. :/ No-one wants THAT side of Wii to be replicated on other emerging platforms. Keep shovelware away. THQ, you're dreadful.
    Edited by Machetazo at 22/09/10 @ 22:57

  • Gambit1977 #5 2 years ago

    He missed the word 'our' at the beginning of that sentence.

  • darkmorgado #6 2 years ago

    THQ CEO Brain Farrell said, "They are shovelware. The cost of games for Kinect and Move is a fraction of what it is for the stuff we showed for you on the screen..."

    "They are just simpler forms of game because we develop them with retards in mind who have more money than sense where it's more based on your movement and the input device; not on fantastic art and very complex animations because that would imply we actually give a shit about making a quality product. That's the other reason we like those two products – the cost of development is much lower than for the other core products because we know we can just put fuck all effort in and still sell a million copies."

    Extensively fixed.
    Edited by darkmorgado at 22/09/10 @ 22:58

  • mrStones #7 2 years ago

    Too tired to be articulate so correct me if i'm wrong but aren't they only "cheaper and quicker to develop than core titles" if thats how you treat them?

    "They are just simpler forms of game where it's more based on your movement and the input device; not on fantastic art and very complex animations"

    This is surely a decision made during development and not some set in stone rule for motion-controlled games?

    edit: ^^^^ what he said
    Edited by mrStones at 22/09/10 @ 23:03

  • makeamazing #8 2 years ago

    @MegaCadet, i still dont get the buzz from some people with regards to Kinect and TGS to be honest. I know there were some more hardcore games announced, and when i say hardcore, of past hardcore games. But the one had (in a previous release) a 40 button controller, i just dont see how that is going to be replicated at all with any possibility for it to retain its hardcore originality. So they are core in name alone, are people getting way to excited of TGS because of the names? Or am i really getting the wrong end of the stick.

    Its a bad analogy, but It would be like announcing Uncharted 3/Halo X for the Wii, and saying its going to be the best looking game ever.

  • Anthony_UK #9 2 years ago

    I've loved a couple of THQ's games recently, namely Red Faction Guerilla and the first UFC. But whoever is overseeing things there up top seems worryingly clueless

    This comment about games being cheap is a worrying sign, why have the 'hardcore' all but abandoned the wii? There recent comments to there being 'potential' in the wii, basically had them admit to the fact that the casuals are bored and the hardcore have just lost faith with these constant 'cheap games' and now THQ are just hoping if they throw enough shit at the wall and hoping something 'Just Dance' shaped sticks.... This almost laughably misguided drawing game and tablet is a prime example.

    Other things that have annoyed me...

    UFC... why allow something so broken to be realised

    Red Faction.... Telling me the whole underground alien vibe was the dev's own idea to take the series for

  • Anthony_UK #10 2 years ago

    Stupid iPhone!

    Forward? No influence from any other game put on them from above?

    And the whole making RF a television series thing.... It's borderline insane!

    It's usually Acti and EA who catch all the flak, but I really think it could be THQ who have really lost focus on everything other than profit margins

  • reverandglass #11 2 years ago

    It pains me that such a large developer could look at Move/Kinect in such a short sighted way. I think it's clear that both systems have the potential to do so much more than shovelware so why set your target there? Hopefully xbox/PS3 gamers will not buy the shovelware that will inevitably get released so devs have to up their game. Poor show THQ

  • TwitchyMcTwitch #12 2 years ago

    THQ... you're doing it wrong.

  • el_pollo_diablo #13 2 years ago

    Cheap throwaway games for these devices are probably a decent plan if you ask me. Given that the motion aspect is so often a gimmick in the first place, anything cheap that doesn't overstay it's welcome will suit me down to the ground I expect.

    At least, they'll probably suit me.

  • epiazk #14 2 years ago

    Will kinect work on PC? And if not, why the hell not!

  • Edz72 #15 2 years ago

    Tell me something I didn't already know....

  • darkmorgado #16 2 years ago

    It sounds like the game companies want low sales

    The sad fact is though that this shovelware sells, that's why they keep making it, particularly when it is placed at an impulse pricepoint

  • NimbusTLD #17 2 years ago

    I would expect Dance Central to not have come cheap in terms of R&D at least!

    /Harmonix fanboy

  • smithdown #18 2 years ago

    THQ suck monkey balls

  • Essien #19 2 years ago

    It's strange to me that Sony didn't ask one of its better developers to make a kick-ass game for the Move.

    It so clearly could be done, as the tech is really good.

  • wizlon #20 2 years ago

    For me, I expect Kinect games to be cheaper and more throw-away. As Move has higher fidelity motion sensing and buttons I see that attracting a lot more large budget implementations (if only like killzone 3 is dual wielding dualshock 3 and move)

  • 3william56 #21 2 years ago

    ... and this is why all motion games face the same uphill struggle the Wii had. Anything decent will be submerged in a ocean of shit no brain shovelware that didn't sell on the Wii, and won't sell on Kinect/Move.

    I suspect someone's after Bobby Kotick's Treat Gamers With Contempt hate award.

    THQ - please, just don't bother. Save yourself the losses, and us the pain.

  • Arwin #22 2 years ago

    What a load of crap. The great thing about the Move is that games don't have to be developed exclusively for it. You can support it as easily as you can support mouse and keyboard in a multi-platform release. This is why RUSE got Move support even when they had only 6 weeks to think about how to support it, and is still way better with Move than with the DS3, or Hustle Kings is so awesome with Move now even though it was developed for the DS3.

    You have to wonder though, what THQ considers to be big budget titles (or hardcore titles) if he things Resident Evil 5, Heavy Rain, MAG, Killzone 3, and RUSE are low budget mass market titles.

    Also, I dare him to beat the unlockable Champions Cup for Table Tennis (or any of the Sports Champions events even) and call that 'casual' ... ;) (I personally haven't even unlocked a Champions Cup).

  • RexRunti #23 2 years ago

    The problem with shovelware on either Kinect or Move is that not every game on the 360 or PS3 is designed for Kinect or Move. There's a lot of tat on the Wii but most of the time it will only be compared to other tat, comparing Stupid Wagglefest Party to Gears of War or God of War may make people think twice about their purchase.

  • drxym #24 2 years ago

    And by "mass market" he means "less discerning" and by "cheaper to make" he means "shovelware". I sincerely hope neither Move nor Kinect suffers from too much shovelware.

  • geeza2020 #25 2 years ago

    The more I hear developers and publishers talk about how they will implement Kinect/Move into their games, the louder the death knell of the industry tolls in my head.

  • JensonJet #26 2 years ago

    WHAT? Buy Kinect for over £100 for what? Cheap games? Rubbish games? Stupid games? Oh well, no one expected decent big franchise and blockbusters to utilise it. And the videogame industry will probably prove us right... unless they're pumping out a shooter, a racer, RPG or sports game, they're pretty much out of ideas.

  • epiazk #27 2 years ago

    You may bitch about it now, but as soon as some enterprising porn company finds a way to utilize kinect, well....hmmm...

  • disappointed #28 2 years ago

    "Discussing plans for Sony and Microsoft's new motion controllers at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference..."

    This comment was clearly aimed at luring investors. They're saying look, this new tech lets us make cheap games that will have huge ROI. It's entirely different from saying that that's all this tech is good for.

    Anyway, I don't think cheap games are such a bad thing. The games industry's got pretty self indulgent. APB was a wake-up call.

  • HolyJebus #29 2 years ago

    "Brain Farrell"

    He sounds smart

  • mcmonkeyplc #30 2 years ago

    Wont be buying any THQ games for Kinect or move then.

    Fucktards.

  • xentar #31 2 years ago

    IF THQ has this attitude i feel like UFC 2010 is their last game i ever bought
    I was actualy lookung much forward to the UFC trianing game for Move / Kinect with high hopes from what Sony managed with Kinetic & Kinetic Combat. I loved Kinetic Combat as it was working very well even with the original EyeToy camera. Move and even Kinect has great potential for this kind of games but you need to take it seriously... lets hope EA will make good with Dana White and give us some good motion control MMA game with full licence

  • Redeye #32 2 years ago

    And this, ladies and gents, is why THQ will never be anything more than a second-rate purveyor of digital dogshit.