The Wii U will be a partially tablet-based experience with games being able to be transferred from the big screen to the slightly smaller screen. Similar to that of Playstation's transferring with the Metal Gear solid series, moving screens, especially tablet screens look to be the future of gaming.  But THQ seems to have made 30 people redundant who were working on the uDraw Game Tablet.

For those who don't have a superfluous amount of money, the uDraw was a purchasable tablet game for the Wii, which you played a series of games which you would draw and play.  It was essentially like a big DS. The layoffs were confirmed via Game Informer when a THQ spokesperson said that Play THQ in California was being slowly cut down.

The spokesperson said that due to weaker than expected sales they have made the "important step to reduce the number of employees" that helped make the game and tablet. He added that a specific 30 people would be leaving the company and that business unit leader Martin Good would also "be leaving to pursue new opportunities outside the company."

They added that doing so would "reduce costs, increase efficiency and increase the focus of [their] organisation." This was after THQ recorded a loss of $92 million dollars back in September and were hoping for a strong holiday bounce back.  But alas, it never came. However, analysts have speculated saying that uDraw alone is not responsible for THQ's losses.

Cowen and Company, a video game analysis firm, suggested that while the poor sales for 360 and PS3 were terrible, a $130 million revenue downside "suggest that there was likely some incremental weakness elsewhere." Basically saying that uDraw was not the culprit and THQ should probably be looking elsewhere.

Especially when you have a game at $50 a pop across all platforms, which includes a peripheral - this isn't 2008 and Guitar Hero 3 hasn't just come out - people are looking for smaller games, not bigger peripherals. It just looks like a misguided move on THQ's part and unfortunately those thirty people have to suffer.

Via [GameInformer]

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