Get back to work
When that fateful day in March passed, Farrell woke up the next morning and did what he’s done in every other downturn THQ has faced: He got up and went to work.
“One of the things I insisted on is if we’re going to cut, we’re going to make the decisions and do it quickly and not study ourselves to death,” Farrell says, recalling something he learned as a young basketball player at John Wooden’s school. “He had a great quote, ‘Be quick, but don’t hurry.’ It’s so common sense. Don’t hurry to make mistakes, but execute quickly once you make a decision and so I said, ‘March 31 we’re done, guys. Done, done, done.’”
Once THQ was done with the work force cutbacks, Farrell put his game face back on.
“Right at that time, we had two product launches coming out; we had this highly rated game called ‘Dawn of War II’ for PC, and I sent out an e-mail: ‘“Dawn of War” just hit No. 1 in six different markets; congratulations to the team,” he says. “A couple of weeks later, we shipped a new WWE brand extension. Again, ‘We just shipped this great game that’s getting good reviews, it’s got positive momentum at retail, and, oh, by the way, we have “Ultimate Fighting” coming out and “Red Faction Guerilla” coming up.’ Once the bad is behind, then start rebuilding confidence and promoting the proof points. And, again, no BS, but share the successes to give people reasons to believe again.”
Farrell also didn’t let employees see a CEO behind closed doors sulking over the company’s downturn. When THQ released “UFC 2009 Undisputed,” a fighting game for which the company partnered with Ultimate Fighting Championship, Farrell played UFC President Dana White in Times Square after the two rang the closing bell for NASDAQ (Farrell lost, by the way). It was time to move away from the turbulence and get back on track. For Farrell, that means putting the focus back on innovative games and staying ahead of the evolution of the industry. Doing that doesn’t mean you’ll avoid every misstep, it just means that you attack them when they come and then get back to work. That attitude is what’s kept THQ floating through tough times.
“One of the big lessons is we have to create a culture that anticipates and manages change,” he says. “And we haven’t always done it perfectly or even well. We’ve had our missteps over 18 years … but I will say our batting average is pretty darn good.”
How to reach: THQ Inc., (818) 871-5000 or www.thq.com
