One Is a Western and the Other Is a Modern-Day Sandbox of Vulgarity
Red Dead Redemption 2 is on its way, and just about everyone believes the game by Rockstar will be a mega hit. That includes publisher Take-Two. And during the most recent financial earnings call, CEO Strauss Zelnick talked about how the game’s release will affect Grand Theft Auto V and its online component, Grand Theft Auto Online.
Based on observations, Zelnick believes GTA V won’t be affected by sales of Red Dead Redemption 2. The game’s popularity has yet to wane, especially since there is no direct competitor. Moreover, he believes games rarely directly compete with one another in a way that affects sales. But that’s probably because he doesn’t play first-person shooters. Anyway, you can find the CEO’s full comments below:
“I think four years after its initial release, we’re immensely gratified that Grand Theft Auto V continues to sell – sold in more than 80 million units. And that it looks like Grand Theft Auto Online will have another record year. Beyond that, we’re not making any projections. However, we have observed that when Rockstar Games drops additional robust content, people are enthusiastic about playing the game and monetization follows appropriately. And that’s kind of how we look at the world.
“In terms of the competitive landscape going forward, look, our view is that all entertainment titles compete against every other possible use of your time. And they don’t compete specifically against our games or anyone else’s games. They compete against everything, against text messaging, going to the movies, reading a book, doing your work, whatever else can occupy your time. Entertainment is a nice to have, not a must have. However, when there is more than one title in the marketplace that compels people, the market also expands to take advantage of it.
“So, the marketplace can be competitive, but it’s rarely directly competitive title-to-title, whether that’s a title that comes out under the Take-Two umbrella or any of our competitors or anything else for that matter. That’s sort of a roundabout way of saying we’re really looking forward to the release of Red Dead Redemption 2. We’re really excited and enthusiastic, of course. We don’t think that has anything to do at all with how Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto Online will perform.”
Red Dead Redemption 2 is slated for release during 2nd quarter 2018. The highly anticipated sequel will arrive for the PS4 and Xbox One. Meanwhile, Take-Two is still being coy about a possible PC release.
With everything said, do you believe Red Dead Redemption 2 could potentially affect Grand Theft Auto V? Do you agree with Zelnick’s comments? Let us know your thoughts below.