Thq Inc

Video game maker THQ Inc. said its fiscal first-quarter loss was little changed at $3.96 million as sales almost doubled. The net loss was 10 cents a share and mostly unchanged from the loss of $3.9 million, or 10 cents, a year earlier, the Calabasas Hills company said. That was narrower than the average estimate of a 15-cent loss from analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial. Revenue nearly doubled to $158 million in the quarter ended June 30.

THQ Inc., which makes video games for Sony Corp.'s PlayStation and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox, said profit almost doubled to $10.1 million as demand for a game based on the Walt Disney Co.-Pixar Animation Studios film "The Incredibles" contributed to a 40% sales increase. Net income for its fiscal third quarter climbed to 24 cents a share from $5.4 million, or 14 cents, a year earlier, the Calabasas-based company said. Sales rose 40% to $171.9 million from $123.1 million.

Video game publisher THQ Inc. on Tuesday said its quarterly profit doubled on stronger holiday game sales, outstripping the most optimistic Wall Street forecasts. Shares of THQ, known mostly for kids' games such as "SpongeBob SquarePants" and WWE wrestling titles, rose 18% in after-hours trading. "This is a really nice result. My hats off to them -- they did what they said they'd do and more," said Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities.

THQ Inc., a maker of video games, said it posted a fiscal fourth-quarter profit on better-than-expected sales of "MX Unleashed," a dirt-bike racing game. The company raised its profit forecast for the year. Net income for the period ended March 31 was $5.43 million, or 14 cents a share, Calabasas-based THQ said. That beat its forecast of 12 cents. THQ reported a year-earlier loss of $7.69 million, or 20 cents. Revenue almost doubled to $123.1 million from $66.8 million. THQ shares rose to $20.

Despite a 30% jump in sales of its video games, THQ Inc. posted lower profit Monday as a result of higher-than-usual marketing and licensing costs, as well as a game that sold poorly, during its fiscal second quarter. The Calabasas game publisher reported net income of $3.6 million, or 9 cents a share, down 25% from $4.8 million, or 12 cents, a year earlier. Revenue, however, grew to $127 million in the quarter ended Sept. 30. The results included a one-time net gain of $2.

Like hard-core gamers poring over a strategy guide, investors and analysts are scrutinizing obscure entries in the financial reports of video game publishers. Two items in particular -- reserves and expense capitalization -- are getting attention in the search for clues as to why the Securities and Exchange Commission issued sweeping requests in July for information from the industry's leading companies: Activision Inc., THQ Inc., Midway Games Inc. and Acclaim Entertainment Inc.

THQ Inc., the third-largest video game publisher, posted higher revenue and a narrower loss Thursday, crediting buoyant sales of its "Finding Nemo" title. THQ sales jumped to $98 million in its fiscal first quarter, up 14% compared with a year earlier, with "Finding Nemo" constituting about one-fifth of the Calabasas company's revenue. A net loss of $3.6 million, or 9 cents a share, beat Wall Street estimates by a penny. Its shares gained 43 cents to $17.95 on Nasdaq, but fell to $17.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is conducting an apparently broad investigation of accounting practices in the video game industry, according to SEC filings by three game publishers, including two in Southern California that produce some of the industry's most popular titles. Activision Inc. of Santa Monica, publisher of the popular "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" games; Calabasas Hills-based THQ Inc., which publishes the "SpongeBob SquarePants" series; and Acclaim Entertainment Inc.

Poor THQ Inc. The Calabasas video game publisher has never gotten much love from hard-core players for its kid-oriented, mass-market titles, which include the SpongeBob SquarePants, WWE wrestling and Tetris franchises. But THQ's focus on its bottom line made it a hit with Wall Street in recent years. Lately, however, the third-largest independent U.S. game publisher has been getting the brushoff from investors as well.

THQ Inc., maker of video games including "SpongeBob SquarePants," posted a loss for its most recent quarter despite higher-than-expected sales. For the quarter ended March 31, the Calabasas-based game publisher recorded a net loss of $7.7 million, or 20 cents a share. A year earlier, earnings were $2.8 million, or 7 cents a share. Revenue, though higher than anticipated, fell 16% to $66.8 million from $79.7 million.