In yet another move to try and turn the fortunes of floundering publisher THQ around, the company plans to close its Quality Assurance facility based in Phoenix, Arizona over the course of this year.
THQ told Game Informer that 57 employees have been affected and some will have the option of moving to Montreal if they wish.
Montreal is a prime location for industry talent, has favorable economics, and is a big part of our future game development plans. With those considerations in mind, we have made the business decision to consolidate our two Quality Assurance operations into one location at THQ Montreal. The studio in Montreal is already home to a global team of Quality Assurance professionals.The transition will occur gradually throughout the remainder of 2012 while we continue to manage QA for our FY’13 release slate.
As part of this reorganization, THQ has notified 57 affected employees (full and part-time) at our QA facility in Phoenix. Some of the affected QA employees are eligible and may choose to relocate to Montreal; however the final number is not known at this time and will depend on a number of factors. The decision to move QA operations was driven by industry, market and economic trends.
We want to thank all of our QA team members in Phoenix for the outstanding work they have done in the past, and will continue to do during the transition in order to bring the highest quality games to our audience.
Montreal, and Canada as a whole, has quickly grown to become a leading force in global game development due to aggressive tax breaks by the government, bringing thousands of jobs to the country.
