THQ is perhaps the fist major publisher to show a shift in strategy away from next-generation publishing, as the firm announces it has canned the Xbox 360 version of The Soprano game spin-off. Only the PlayStation 2 version now remains.

This news follows the cancellation of the PlayStation 3 version of the latest Smackdown game, one of THQ's flagship titles and the series that built the firm to the size it is today with massive successes earlier in the decade. That announcement, posted alongside somewhat worrying financials, led many to believe that THQ will go into a consolidated mode for perhaps the next year, targeting current-generation platforms with healthy installed userbases.

It's well-known fact that slow Xbox 360 production routines cost publishers dearly in the past nine months, with early adopter numbers strangled and those able to pick up a machine buying only AAA games. Consumers also showed an impressive resistance to bundles, the retailer's main route to shifting average or low-selling games early on in a platform's lifecycle. This was mainly due to the shift in buying power, away from parents easily tricked into thinking they were getting a bargain and into the hands of core gamers who intend only buying the system, an extra controller and the game of their choice, thank you very much.

We have requested a comment from THQ on the firm's current strategy and will publish it as soon as it lands. Share this item on... Comments >>