THQ's MX Vs. ATV Racing Series Passes 10M Units

As THQ readies the release of its next MX vs. ATV game, which will experiment with a new pricing model, the publisher says the off-road racing franchise has sold 10 million units since its 2004 debut. THQ CEO Brian Farrell has been talking about the next MX vs. ATV game for several months, but the game is just now officially debuting this week at the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season opener in Anaheim. The publisher plans on releasing the new MX vs. ATV Alive this year for $39.99 at launch instead of the standard $59.99. THQ would then offer a wide range of DLC for players to buy after the initial purchase. MX vs. ATV Alive is currently in development at THQ-owned Rainbow Studios. The most recent MX vs. ATV game was 2009's MX vs. ATV Reflex. Farrell believes the new pricing strategy can lower the cost of entry, as well as allow players to eventually spend more than $59.99 on the game in the long run. "When we launched [MX vs. ATV] at $59.99, we'd do some units, and then when we brought the price down to the mass market-friendly price of $39.99, it would just pop," he said late last year. "So the thinking this time is, let's initially launch at $39.99 -- it's a very robust game, very high quality. ... We think this is the future of gaming. We think that's the way games are gonna go in the long term."