Europe "at the forefront" of next-gen development, says THQ

Following THQ's acquisition of Juice Games, business development director Andrew Walker has told GamesIndustry.biz that he believes European studios will be at the forefront of next-gen development.

"We've worked with a great many studios in Europe, and we're always open to evaluating opportunities. We know that the European talent pool is extremely deep, and that European teams are going to be at the forefront of next-generation development," Walker said.

"We started work with Juice in late 2004 and since then, we've been very impressed with their professionalism and creativity. These are qualities that we look for in all the studios we work with, especially our internal studios."

"One of the attractions for THQ was the length of time the team have been together," Walker continued.

"These guys have been together longer than just the existence of Juice Games, and so knowing that they're creatively versatile and able to branch out was very important."

Juice Games was established in January 2003 and is best known for producing top-selling PC and console title Juiced, which was published by THQ. According to general manager Colin Bell, the studio has doubled in size since it was founded in terms of both staff numbers and turnover.

"I think we've been a reasonably successful company; we've grown well, we've managed the business quite well," Bell said.

"But of all the things that we've done, launching Juiced with THQ has given us the most satisfaction, because we work together well, we have a similar way of doing things and a similar outlook, so it seemed a natural thing to do."

Bell said the THQ acquisition had been welcomed by staff at Juice Games, stating: "Going forward, because THQ allows us to retain an identity, they're really pleased about it. There's a goal of wanting to provide a great place for people to work, for good job satisfaction levels and good staff retention, and good productivity. I think we can provide all those things with the support of THQ."

"Now, they can invest in our creativity, and we can continue to focus on the things that make great games as opposed to lots of the other peripheral things that come within a small company in a transitional market."

Juice's next title is Juiced: Eliminator PSP, which is currently slated for a June release. Walker hinted that the more Juiced games are already in the pipeline: "Juice Games is synonymous with the Juiced franchise, and so they will continue to run with the Juiced franchise as it grows."

However, Juice will also have the opportunity to develop other intellectual property in the future, Walker said. "We encourage all of our internal studios to branch out and develop new IP. It's really completely up to Colin and his team which direction they want to set for themselves. That option is definitely open to them and they also can continue to focus on Juiced; that, for now, is the number one priority."

When asked if developing new IP is something Juice is interested in, Bell replied: "I think it would be nice to do that. I think we've got the right kind of people, the right team, and I think given the right circumstances - and with THQ - we can see that happening."