THQ Opens Shanghai Office

As exclusively reported by Gamasutra earlier this month, THQ opened a new office in Shanghai, China, from which the studio will pursue new development opportunities and expand local publishing partnerships in the region. The company also hopes to capitalize on China’s growing online games market. Later this fiscal year, THQ plans to launch free-to-play MMO Company of Heroes Online, a a microtransaction-driven game designed specifically for Asia, in collaboration with China publishing partner Shanda Interactive Entertainment. Shanda is currently the leading online game publisher in China in terms of marketshare, according to a recent Analysys study; meanwhile, Niko Partners says the region's online game biz was valued at $1.7 billion in 2007 and expects it to grow to $4.2 billion by 2010. Tim Page, market development director for Asia Pacific, will manage the company's online game portfolio by establishing and maintaining local publishing partnerships as well as bringing THQ online content to other international markets. Kevin Chu, corporate director of THQ’s External Development Group (XDG), will oversee THQ's outsourcing operations and assist in local product development initiatives from Shanghai. Says THQ's product development SVP Steve Dauterman: "By expanding our development operations and deepening our commitment to the local market, we will accelerate our growth in Asia and at the same time improve the efficiency of our development processes worldwide."