THQ Creates New Next-Gen Incinerator Studio

Major publisher THQ Inc has announced the formation of its new development team, Incinerator Games, the latest addition to THQ's still-growing internal studio system, and based in Carlsbad, Calif. According to the company, Incinerator is comprised of veterans of the Twisted Metal, NFL GameDay and MLB 2006: The Show projects from Sony's 989 studios, as well as the Midnight Club franchise from Rockstar, and Incinerator is primarily focused on development for next generation consoles. Alongside this announcement, THQ revealed that Incinerator is currently working on next-generation console versions of Disney/Pixar's Cars. The game is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360 and Wii this fall, and the team is also working on future projects for next generation systems. Interestingly, THQ's Cars game for current-gen consoles was a particularly big success for the company in the June NPD game charts, helping THQ revenues leap an astounding 233 percent over the previous year, and 29 percent from last June. With 600,000 units of Cars sold in North America alone in June, this shows why a separate next-gen SKU may make sense for the company, which is continuing to expand its internal studios by opening in new locations, with the recently-formed New York-based Kaos, staffed by ex-DICE employees, another good example. "The addition of Incinerator Games is another example of our dedication to enhance and expand our internal development capabilities," said Jack Sorensen, executive vice president of worldwide studios, THQ. "We're really excited to see the Incinerator team begin to bring its own ideas for next generation development to THQ."