Take-Two CEO Doesn’t Waste Time on a Double Take
The recent news of Red Dead Redemption 2 being delayed has no effect on Rockstar Games’ other projects and launch windows, according to Take-Two Interactive’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick.
After increasing rumors that Red Dead Redemption 2 would be out in September, Zelnick had to step in and deliver the bad news: delayed until Spring 2018 to provide “the most extraordinary experience” players deserved. An actual release date hasn’t been revealed, but Rockstar did state that they moved the game to Fiscal Year 2019, indicating that it will likely be released after April 2018.
During Take-Two Interactive’s most recent financial earnings call with investors, Zelnick was asked about the delay and whether it would influence Rockstar’s other activities aside from Red Dead Redemption 2. According to Zelnick, this won’t be the case and Rockstar is capable of working on more than one project at the same time:
“The decision to move the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 will have no impact on any of Rockstar Games’ other activities. That said, both 2K and Rockstar have the ability to work on a multiplicity of projects simultaneously.”
Hands shot up. A delay means Rockstar has to juggle multiple balls and other studios are pissed. Here’s what he had to say:
“And the question for both of them is how do you direct your resources on the one hand to supporting something that’s working mightily now, and on the other hand, to something that will, we hope, work mightily in the future. And that’s a decision that is a challenging and complex one that one makes with limited information at every entertainment enterprise. But resources are our issue and ambition isn’t our issue. Probably, and to the extent we have a problem, it’s a high class problem. We have 11 extraordinary franchises that have each sold over 5 million units in an individual release. We have something like 55 that have sold at least 2 million in individual release. That’s pretty different state of play than just a few years ago with this enterprise. We think we have the best collection of owned intellectual property in the business.”
THAT’S A LOT OF MOUTH-WORDS FOR AN ANSWER! Wonder if 2K feels the same way about their upcoming project with Take-Two Interactive!
Talking about Red Dead Redemption 2’s launch window following the delay to Spring 2018, Zelnick stated that for a game like Red Dead, the launch-window doesn’t really matter in terms of being successful. Everyone’s hooked, just like the Game of Thrones delay and splitting the last season into two seasons, oh boy what a great idea. Anyway, here’s a quote from Zelnick:
“Yes. For a title like this, I don’t think the launch window really matters. And obviously, Red Dead Redemption went out in May and was an extraordinarily successful title. Consumers are consuming entertainment year round. Now they don’t stop in the summer months. And we believe that if you give people an extraordinary experience, they will show up for it.”
He’s right. We’ll wait for a big title like Red Dead Redemption 2. We’ll buy it, we’ll suck it down, and he will not be penalized. Drink the Kool Aid, my friends; you have no other choice.