Game publisher THQ swung to a $5.6 million loss this quarter (its fiscal Q2)—after posting a profit three months ago—but it’s still a far cry from this time last year, when the company was just starting to lay off staff and close studios to grapple with triple-digit losses.

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THQ (NSDQ: THQI) soundly trumped the Street’s forecast of a 47-cent per share loss on $94 million in revenue; strong sales of games like UFC 2009 Undisputed led to just an 8-cent per share loss on $101.8 million in revenue. Seemingly pleased with the results of the company’s year-long turnaround, investors sent shares up by more than 14 percent in after-hours trading. In a research note, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter said that the firm thought THQ’s prospects were “much improved.”