Industry doesn't expect THQ to survive transition to digital
Experts also single out dedicated handheld gaming as a failed business going forward
Saints Row publisher THQ isn't likely to survive the transition to a digital games business due to a lack of must-have games properties.
That's according to more than 160 attendees of yesterday's London Games Conference, which included senior figures in publishing, development, social and mobile gaming, with over 70 per cent voting the company a 'zero' during a special interactive presentation.
The session, presented by Games Brief's Nicholas Lovell, also asked whether dedicated handheld consoles have a place in the gaming market going forward - more than 80 per cent of attendees agreed that they would not be able to compete with smartphones and other mobile devices offering multiple apps and services on top of games.
Representatives from publishers such as Sega, Ubisoft, Square Enix, Microsoft and Konami also believe that PlayStation Home won't continue as a success, a decision that Lovell disagreed with, labelling it an "unsung hero" of the online business.
The crowd also agreed that social game company Zynga will eventually lose it's shine due to its cynical approach to monetisation, and that the subscription MMO model is on its last legs.
Gaikai, with its back-end cloud gaming model, Amazon with its disruptively priced Kindle Fire, and Tiny Tower maker Nimblebit are expected to play more significant roles in the games business going forward.