Smackdown vs. RAW 2009 Gets Greatest Hits Status

WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2008 was a bonafide hit (in terms of sale, not overall quality) before today, but THQ’s last wrestling game (the ninth in the series) has managed to get greatest hits classification on both the PSP and PS2 today. That simply means that you can now buy the game on either platform for the suggested retail price of $19.99. As an avid fan of this series, i’d have to say that the 2008 edition really dropped the ball in story / career mode, but made up for it in the new gameplay elements that were introduced. Still it’s a fun game and for around $20 it’s worth a shot on the PS2 if you haven’t already played it.

Of course, you could just wait until WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009 comes out but that’s your prerogative.

THQ Post $27.2 Million Loss

THQ announced net sales of $137.6 million and a net loss of $27.2 million for the fiscal first quarter. First quarter sales were driven by Disney/Pixar’s WALL-E and Big Beach Sports for Wii, as well as continued strong sales of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 and MX vs. ATV Untamed. Despite decent sales, the company still faced a loss for the quarter.

For Q1, THQ reported net sales of $137.6 million, compared with $104.5 million from the same period a year ago. The company reported a net loss of $27.2 million, or $0.41 per share, which included a $0.03 per share gain on discontinued operations from the sale of Minick AG. In the prior year, the company reported a net loss of $9.3 million, or $0.14 per share, which included a $0.10 per share one-time tax benefit.

Looking ahead, THQ expects net sales in the range of $1,150 million to $1,175 million in FY 2009, and net sales in the range of $160 million to $170 million and a net loss per share in the range of $0.35 to $0.39 for Q4.