Despite middling reviews, THQ’s Homefront sold 375,000 units on launch day and that’s enough to make CEO Brian Farrell a very happy camper.
It’s not the 5.6 million units that Call of Duty: Black Ops put out on day one, no, but 375,000 units is a pretty respectable sales figure for a brand new IP published by a company not exactly known as a shooter heavyweight. That’s especially true given the less-than-thrillsville reviews that accompanied the game’s launch, including a 3/5 score at The Escapist and a low-70s aggregate at Metacritic. But while THQ’s share price may have taken a pounding in the wake of the game’s critical underperformance, Farrell nonetheless nonetheless managed to sound upbeat.
“We are delighted with first day sales for Homefront and are already fulfilling re-orders for the game from multiple retailers,” he said.
“Homefront’s excellent multiplayer experience, combined with our commitment to dedicated servers, make this a must-have purchase for gamers,” added Vice President Danny Bilson. “Due to the strong and growing demand for Homefront’s multiplayer, we continue to add dedicated server capacity. We are confident that the large-scale multiplayer maps featuring 32 players, vehicles, infantry and drones, will continue to be a major draw for the huge audience of FPS gamers looking for a new experience over the coming months.”
In fact, while Russ Pitts’ review of the single-player component of Homefront found much to criticize, John Funk’s multiplayer preview was positively glowing, calling it “solid enough to stand with the best of its contemporaries.” THQ revealed on Twitter that the demand for dedicated servers “outstripped expectations” and that it will be adding more to meet the demand as soon as possible.
Source: IndustryGamers
Published: Mar 17, 2011 02:12 am