Thus far, Darksiders II has sold about 1 million copies, but according to analyst Michael Pachter, the game must sell 2 million copies for THQ to break even and the title's sales are struggling to do so.
THQ has had a rough year, to say the least. They've had massive layoffs, restructured their stock to stay on NASDAQ, canceled games, and brought in a new president in the effort to turn this studio around. Pachter says it isn't enough.
"Darksiders II's performance and a history of game delays and cancelations leaves us skeptical that THQ can successfully execute its turnaround strategy, which centers on a streamlined release state," said Pachter.
He further predicts that THQ will report between $75-85 million in revenues for its second quarter earnings report on November 5th, which is higher than other analysts have estimated. He also warned investors to be cautious for the remainder of the fiscal year, since THQ's "management has a history of missteps."
THQ has undoubtedly been counting on the successes of Darksiders II and today's release of WWE 13 as part of its turnaround, and while time will tell for WWE 13, it looks like Darksiders II will not be their answer. South Park: Stick of Truth will most likely do very well, but will that be too late to help THQ out?
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