THQ closes Melbourne publishing office

THQ has confirmed the closure of its publishing office in Melbourne Australia.

The publisher is at the tail end of a painful process of corporate restructuring that led to the shuttering of several studios, project cancellations, and massive layoffs.

The decision to close one of its few international publishing offices is part of a wider strategy to move away from direct sales in favor of a distributor-based model.

"THQ confirms it has made changes to its publishing organization in Australia," a company spokesperson told IGN.

"In line with THQ’s corporate strategy to focus on wholly-owned IP and move away from affiliate label programs, we have evaluated how best to take our more-focused product lineup to market in the territory."

"After a thorough analysis, a decision has been made to move from a direct sales model to a distributor model, which means that our Melbourne publishing office will be closing. Approximately 18 employees were impacted by this action.”