Another “accidental” fire at the uDraw factory...

THQ has endured a wretched run in recent times, with a string of underperforming releases such as de Blob 2 and Red Faction: Armageddon culminating in the disastrous flop of the uDraw peripheral for 360 and PS3. Worse yet, according to IGN, the plummeting value of its shares may yet see the company delisted from the NASDAQ stock exchange.

THQ is taking several measures to bolster the confidence of both the NASDAQ and investors, slashing 240 jobs (including 14 in Australia) and trimming CEO Brian Farrell’s base salary by 50% for the next 12 months. As reported by Develop, the publisher also claims to have no fewer than 17 games in the works, including six unannounced ‘core titles’.

In addition to the unannounced games, work will continue on Devil’s Third, from Tomonobu Itagaki’s Valhala Studios and Insane, from film maker Guillermo del Toro. Also confirmed as still in the pipeline are untitled projects from Assassin’s Creed creative director Patrice Désilets and Left 4 Dead developer Turtle Rock Studio. Gamers can also look forward to a raft of sequels and licensed titles.

Scribblenauts developer 5^th Cell has issued fresh gameplay footage of Hybrid. If you’re struggling to recall exactly what Hybrid is, you can probably be forgiven. Following its announcement in October 2010, the futuristic multiplayer shooter has maintained a remarkably low profile.

During its time away from the public eye, the game has apparently undergone something of a metamorphoses. The grim and realistic characters presented in the pre-rendered 2010 announcement trailer are seemingly no more. In the latest vision, the combatants appear to be far more vibrant, if not a mite cartoonish. Hopefully the decision was driven by artistic (rather than economic) concerns.

The new 90 second clip hints at the semi-automated traversal and cover system that promises to set the game apart from its many contemporaries.

The developer is yet to specify a release date for Hybrid beyond the ‘2012’ noted in the trailer. The game will be an XBLA exclusive.

NanoBITES captures those small but important morsels of gaming information that otherwise might slip between the cracks.

ITEM! Following the release of Resistance 3, Insomniac has informed VG247 that it has no further plans for the franchise. Even as Insomniac shifts its focus to Overstrike, series publisher Sony will continue the saga on Vita with Resistance: Burning Skies.

ITEM! After a dozen years of chasing subscribers, the creators of pioneering MMO EverQuest are finally preparing to roll out a free-to-play option. This strikes us as a sound decision. After all, if players haven’t ponied up by now, they probably never will.

ITEM! Final Fantasy XIII-2 is only just making its way onto store shelves, but Square Enix is already hyping the first wave of DLC. Lightning and Master Sergeant Amodar will see players battling enemies from previous Final Fantasy titles.

ITEM! It appears that downloading games for the Vita will be less expensive than buying them at retail. Shacknews is reporting that consumers will save 10% when buying direct from the PlayStation Network.

ITEM! In what can only be described as the continuation of a depressing trend for PC gamers, another high profile release has been delayed. As revealed by Joystiq, Prototype 2 is now set to arrive on PC in July, three months after the console versions hit.

Looking for more nanoBITES? View previous instalments here.

Walk with me: The West Wing goes high tech.

Fans of the XCOM strategy games will rejoice at the news that developer Firaxis Games has made official its intention to deliver a new title in the series, XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

For those who have not experienced previous games, XCOM sees the player take control of a secret anti-alien force. Humanity is undergoing an attack on a global scale and it is up to the player to command the resistance. The most acclaimed games in the franchise are turn based and heavily tactical. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is being touted as a return to the series’ roots.

The series has been hailed as revolutionary for the strategy genre and fans can rest assured that the project is in good hands, with lead developer Jake Solomon telling Game Informer that the original XCOM is his “favourite game of all time”. Firaxis is best known for its work on the Civilization series.

The announcement of Enemy Unknown may appease fans dismayed that the long awaited series reboot (simply titled XCOM) is abandoning the isometric tactics of the original in favour of first person gunplay.

Enemy Unknown is being developed for PS3, 360 and PC. At the time of writing there has been no official date set for release.

Image credits: Game Informer