IGNCube has burst out of retirement again to bring a nifty (albeit brief) interview with THQ's vice president of product development, Michael Rubinell. Mr. Rubinell definitely seemed enthusiastic about Nintendo's future (aren't we all) and had some interesting things to say. Here's some of the highlights:

- THQ are very impressed & interested in Nintendo Gamecube, i.e. they will support it. They're currently in possession of emulation software and are expecting dev kits within two weeks.

- Nintendo will hold a Gamecube development conference sometime in November, THQ will definitely be in attendance. So will a lot of other developers, so we'll certainly get some developer announcements next month, or at least a lot more clues!

- Rubinell reports that Microsoft's X-Box is as easy to develop for as Gamecube, maybe more so. Methinks Microsoft is definitely shaping up to be a contender in the next-gen!

- THQ feel that the Gamecube caters to "a younger crowd" and are planning projects accordingly. (We'll probably see more Nick-toon games like Rugrats & that "SpongeBob" guy…) THQ's opinion mirrors the perception of most of the industry; Nintendo hasn't shaken the "kiddie" image just yet…

- THQ will continue support any "Nintendo product" with its wrestling games.

Sounds pretty good overall & this is just the highlights. So, hit the link above to scope out the whole interview at IGNCube. Man, THQ have sure been in the news a lot this week!