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THQ's Farrell Sees 'Softness' In Wii Market, No E3 Price Cut For PS3
by Leigh Alexander [PC, Console/PC, Exclusive]
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May 7, 2009
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THQ CEO Brian Farrell says he's seeing a little bit of "softness" in the current Wii market, and that the absence of a price reduction on Nintendo's part might be to blame.
"The Wii has been going for an unprecedented amount of time without a price cut," Farrell noted, suggesting that any weakening in the Wii market might be due in part to the economy and in part to the fact that the Wii "already [has] a pretty substantial install base at the current price point." His comments concur with those made by other analysts noticing market softness for Wii as it finally escapes its supply constraint problems -- although most attribute any slowdown to seasonality.
However, speaking on the company's fourth quarter results call to analysts today, Farrell says that industry-watchers looking for price cuts might better place their attention on Sony.
"The challenging platform is the PS3," Farrell says. "The right people to ask about prices there are Sony." The CEO expects a PS3 price cut soon -- but not at E3, as is commonly speculated.
Though he was quick to point out he has no inside information from Sony, Farrell says he expects the company will cut the PS3 prices later this year. He joins a growing chorus of developers, publishers, analysts and retailers urging price reductions for Sony's console this year.
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Either way I'm excited for E3 this year. 3 weeks to go!
Console predictions/concerns aside, this guy needs to step aside and either let new talent run THQ or have someone buy them out.