Hi Richard,
Don't know how long you've been following this board, but there was quite a bit of discussion about this in the past couple months. Sorry if your previous question encountered some hostility from those of us on this board, but it's become a very tired issue here. Yes, there are arguments on both sides, but here's a general summary of the main points.
* Yes, losing WCW hurts. Not only has it been a successful series, but the general feeling was that THQ got the license very cheap originally. However, THQ gets to sell WCW games through June 1999. Many here feel that by that time, the license will become stale (ie its value will be much less). Is that right? Only time will tell.
* THQ is using the revenue generated by the WCW series to publish more and better games now. Compare its 1998 game lineup with its 1997 one. Plus, it's starting (just starting, mind you) to gain some respect within the gaming community with its upcoming games.
Basically, the big question is whether the new games will make WCW a memory. How you feel about that is probably what makes you a long or a short. Most of us here are shareholders in THQ, so this board does tend to have a bull-ish tone -- but on the other hand, I think there have been some pretty compelling arguments for being long (particularly from Todd Weiner). Anyway, just my two cents.
Harry |
