South Park: The Stick of Truth, Company of Heroes 2, and Metro: Last Light have all been delayed, THQ has announced.

South Park: The Stick of Truth has been pushed back a year to around May 2014, while Company of Heroes and Metro are expected to ship in March 2013 – “later than initially planned” according to the company.

“When I joined THQ the company made a public commitment to quality titles. We always expected that in some cases this would mean that more time would be needed to make sure that every title is of the highest possible quality,” said THQ President Jason Rubin.

“Our fourth quarter releases are the first titles that I have had the ability to materially impact, and experience told me that the games needed additional development time to be market-ready."

South Park’s expansive nature, which see it encompassing multiple television seasons’ worth of content, were to blame for its delay, said Rubin.

“We have been working closely with the co-creators of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, to make sure all of the game’s content performs to the high standards of the TV show, and this takes time. THQ is committed to giving gamers no less than the rich South Park game they have been waiting for and deserve.”

Metro and Company of Heroes simply needed more time to become games their respective studios were happy to release, he said.

“I believe Metro: Last Light is a title that should set standards for visuals with its stunning atmosphere, unique location and cutting-edge style.

“Company of Heroes was one of the highest rated RTS titles in history, and Relic insists that the sequel live up to its pedigree. Giving both of these titles time to reach their full potential is the right thing to do for the products.”

“I firmly believe releasing our fourth quarter titles without extra time for polish in the current environment would lead to underperformance that could in turn lead to future additional capital shortfalls,” he added, before stressing to investors that taking a long-term perspective would be best for the company.

“We must follow the course that generates the highest quality games, and will establish THQ as a mark of quality for the consumer."

THQ has 10 titles in development for fiscal 2014 and later, including another Saints Row title, Homefront 2, and an unannounced Turtle Rock Studios (Left 4 Dead) title.