In light of their recent financial troubles, THQ has moved to secure the services of Jason Ruben, from Naughty Dog, as their president after two senior THQ executives quit the company.
Restructuring is the word of the week for publishing studio, THQ, as two of its top executives handed in their resignations and the studio moved quickly to secure the services of Jason Ruben, the co-founder of Naughty Dog, the studio which developed the
critically acclaimed and hugely successful Uncharted series.
A statement released by THQ explained the reason behind both their EVP of Core Games, Danny Bilson and their SVP Core Studios, Dave Davis, quitting the company. Apparently, Bilson has moved on from the studio to “pursue other interests.”
Ruben has been at the helm of the studio which has developed games such as the Uncharted series, the Crash Bandicoot games and the Jak & Dexter series. So in terms of being experienced when it comes to developing games with iconic characters that go on to
earn both critical and financial success, THQ seems to have made a shrewd choice.
Brain Farrell, the CEO of THQ, explained the company’s decision to move for the Naughty Dog co-founder. He said, “We believe (Ruben) can be a game changer and can contribute immensely to executing on our strategy of delivering quality connected core game
experiences.”
THQ suffered from financial woes last year and had to lay off a large number of its employees, however, there was a bright light that shone on the company and kept it afloat. That bright light was their quirky, kinky and all out crazy sandbox game, Saints
Row: The Third.
The game went on to sell more copies than its predecessors as it offered a unique gaming experience, including being the only game that allows players to beat each other up using oversize s*x toys.
The game recently received a superpower enabling expansion pack and the company will be hoping that Ruben can add to the studio’s roster of successful titles as the former Naughty Dog hotshot takes over at THQ.
Ruben is sure to have plenty on his plate and his first major task would be turning the loss on the company’s financial statements into a profit.
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