Take-Two: We don’t need to release GTA yearly

Publishing giant Take-Two has told MCV it has no plans to increase the number of Grand Theft Auto games it releases.

The firm launched GTA V last year, which instantly became the fastest selling game in UK history.

But Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says it is important not to over-saturate the market to ensure GTA becomes a permanent franchise. He told MCV that thanks to titles like GTA Online, the publisher doesn’t need to release new versions in order to generate money from the IP.

It is great that consumers anticipate our titles, like they anticipate the next James Bond film. Our goal is to create permanent franchises,” he said.

A few years ago, we’d launch a title, it would be sold physically, then we would sell catalogue versions of it. Today we launch a title, and often – if not always – put out DLC. We’ve talked about recurrent consumer spending, where we have offerings where fans can engage and spend money on an on-going basis.

With GTA V, we have sold 32.5m units in to date, which is extraordinary. 70 per cent of people that have played GTA V while online have played GTA Online, which is a free-to-play experience. And recurrent consumer spending, which includes GTA Online revenue, represented nearly half of our digitally delivered revenue in the quarter. So people are voting that they want to stay engaged and they are voting with their wallets.”