THQ Phases Out Red Faction Franchise Following 'Disappointing' Sales

After what was "clearly a disappointing performance" for Red Faction: Armageddon both financially and critically, THQ CEO Brian Farrell says that the company will not be moving forward with the franchise. "Given that that title now in two successive versions has [only] found a niche, we do not intend to carry forward with that franchise in any meaningful way," Farrell told THQ's investors in a Gamasutra-attended conference call. According to Farrell, the game "did not resonate with a sufficiently broad console gaming audience," despite its "passionate niche following." "In today's hit-driven, core gaming business, even highly-polished titles with a reasonable following like Red Faction face a bar that continues to move higher and higher," he said. "Moving forward, our core game titles must meet a very high quality standard with strong creative and product differentiation, appeal to a broad audience, and be marketed aggressively." Red Faction: Armageddon currently averages in the 71-75 range on Metacritic across its three SKUs. Developer Volition is currently at work on two major projects: this year's Saints Row: The Third, and a collaboration with film director Guillermo del Toro called Insane. Farrell also said that that as a result of the game's sales, THQ would revise its internal review process in order to reach a higher quality bar.