As Apple continues to dip its toes into the water of the video game market major publishers are scrambling to figure out how to get eye-catching content onto the iPad. While some studios are holding back and waiting for others to blaze the trail, THQ is ready to dive in headfirst and grab a leading share of the market.
“I am a[n iPad] user and I think it is a great media consumption device,” said company CEO Brian Farrell. “And I do not think we’ve seen the best games on that platform yet, so that is a real opportunity there. Our strategy is to build our games and put them on all screens, the TV monitor, the PC screen, the iPad, and where appropriate on mobile.”
But THQ’s plan isn’t merely to create iPad editions of existing games, the company is also thinking of ways to integrate content across multiple platforms, meshing Apple’s tablet and even the iPhone with traditional home consoles. “Take a game like UFC, you could train your character on the iPhone or iPad and upload your character to your Xbox 360 or PS3. You have to think very broadly about what does our consumer want and where will they play,” said Farrell. Such a move would follow in the footsteps of franchises like Madden, which allowed users to manage their online franchise right from their phone.
Of course, it’s not an either/or scenario and we’ll probably see THQ developing both standalone iPad games as well as “companion apps.” This is great news for the gamer who likes to always be plugged in, but a true terror for folks who want to leave games behind once they shut off the console. But for those people there are always lovely caves to move into where the Wifi is weak and 3G is non-existent. The rest of us will continue our efforts to completely do away with sleep and simply be plugged into all things gaming 24 hours a day.
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