Xbox Gaming in South Africa

Shortly after EA's announcement of large-scale layoffs, it looks like THQ will be closing several of their own development studios due to staff cuts. The following development houses have been removed from the THQ Studio list and are most likely to be closed shortly:

• Helixe Games (The Incredibles and Cars for Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance)
• Locomotive Games (Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed for PSP and Wii)
• Mass Media (Full Spectrum Warrior for all platforms)
• Sandblast Games (Red Faction II and Summoner: A Goddess Reborn for the Nintendo GameCube, Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon for all platforms)

More cuts are to be seen at Juice Games - developers behind the popular Juiced franchise - with 30 staff being laid off due to a "high risk", as yet unnamed, project being cancelled. Rainbow Studios are also set to receive an unspecified number of layoffs.

With a reported $35.3 million net loss for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, THQ, like other publishing houses, are struggling to keep profits on course in the current economic climate. Staff cuts are nomally the first reaction of publishers when faced with plumeting sales or profits. Midway Games are expected to announce their financial results on November 10th, and it will be interesting to see how their titles have performed.

[Via Gamasutra]