By Tim Richards [6 April 2003]
(Thanks to Tim Richards of gamenews.com.au for sending us this report. Gamesnews.com.au is a free resource for Australian game industry professionals and consumers.)
Sumea.com.au, through information provided on its online forums, has reported that Queensland based Evolution Games has just gone under. There are unconfirmed comments from industry focussing on the recent arrival of Evolution Games multinational publisher US-based THQ to Brisbane and its attempts to staff a local THQ game development studio by mid-march, coinciding with Evolution Games calling it quits.
THQ previously announced in June 2001it had set up shop in Melbourne, following favourable moves by the Victorian government to encourage THQ to set up its regional Asia-Pacific headquarters in Victoria [for the THQ press release, click here; for the Victorian government press release, click here]. At the time the Victorian government announced that THQ would invest $10 million in the local industry. However, THQ announced a similar move in March in Queensland, with newspapers reporting early March that the company would set up a regional headquarters in Brisbane, following discussions with the Queensland government [see article for the Age, click here].
Opinion: If the reports of Evolution Games closing its doors are true, then this is important news for the industry as it is very unexpected. Only two weeks ago the CEO Justin Green was in good form, commenting to GameNews.com.au editor Tim Richards that the studios most recent title, Rocket Power:Beach Bandits, published by THQ, continued to show very strong sales. If the move by THQ to Queensland has brought about a change in circumstances for Evolution Games, this needs to be explored by the industry. If the change has been negative, then questions must be raised as to how robust the Australian game development industry actually is in the face of overseas interests taking a broader foothold in the local industry, and what else must be done to prepare the Australian game industry for further international success?