Shares in THQ Inc. dropped 5 percent Wednesday after the video game developer missed expectations on its first-quarter sales.

THQ reported a first-quarter loss of $9.3 million (minus 14 cents per share), an improvement from a $12 million loss (minus 19 cents) in the same period a year earlier, thanks to declining expenses, the company said. Analysts expected, on average, a first-quarter loss of 25 cents per share, according to a poll conducted by Thomson Financial.

Sales for the Agoura Hills-based company were down 24 percent to $105 million, missing Wall Street’s expectations of $113 million.

THQ publishes such video games as “Ratatouille.”

The company also backed its previous full-year guidance for earnings of $1.34 to $1.44 per share on $1.1 billion to $1.2 billion in sales. The income projection excludes 23 cents per share in expenses for stock-based compensation.

Shares in THQ fell $1.42, or 5 percent, to $27.34 in trading Wednesday.