WWE lawsuit will not affect agreement with Yuke's - THQ
THQ's executive VP of worldwide publishing, Kelly Flock, has described the extended agreement with Yuke's as a "huge win" for the company - adding that the ongoing WWE lawsuit will not affect the deal.
THQ's executive VP of worldwide publishing, Kelly Flock, has described the extended agreement with Yuke's as a "huge win" for the company - adding that the ongoing WWE lawsuit will not affect the deal.
The WWE filed suit against a number of parties, including THQ and JAKKS Pacific, in October 2004 - alleging that the WWE videogame licenses they hold were obtained through bribery.
But that hasn't stopped THQ from recently announcing a long term strategic agreement with Yuke's, in which the publisher holds a minority interest, to produce further WWE games.
"Our new agreement with Yuke's is a huge win for THQ, as we have a long-term, multisystem agreement with arguably the best wrestling development studio in the world," Flock told Gamespot.com.
"Going forward, we will be able to bring fans that experience across multiple game systems beginning with WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP, and PlayStation 2 beginning this fall. The lawsuit does not play a role in securing this relationship with Yuke's."
Flock went on to confirm that THQ is no longer planning to produce platform-specific wrestling games, stating: "Part of our strategy working with Yuke's is to bring multiple systems under one development house... This means fans can look forward to playing our SmackDown! vs. RAW series across multiple systems."
"As the publisher of the number one wrestling video game brand in the world, we are eager to take this franchise, along with new WWE video game properties, to new heights by offering them to current-generation, next-generation, and handheld gamers."