Take-Two: Red Dead is clearly a permanent franchise

Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two, at an analyst conference named the Red Dead franchise as a permanent franchise that can hold its own alongside other publisher franchises such as Grand Theft Auto and Borderlands.

Zelnick’s statement that Red Dead is a permanent franchise stems from a question about how Take-Two releases new games. He says that Take-Two has released a new, successful franchise every year since 2007, but emphasizes that not every franchise can become a permanent one. “Obviously, as long as we can continue to deliver today’s quality, GTA will be a permanent franchise. Furthermore, it seems abundantly clear that Red Dead, as well as Borderlands and NBA, should be considered permanent.”

In its own words, Take-Two takes a “selective approach” when it comes to releasing games, unlike a certain number of other studios that would flood the market with new games. According to Gamespot, Zelnick mentions the risk of constantly releasing more games, that it can only lead to the release schedule becoming full. ”But consumers want better, not more. In my opinion, the selective approach that we have been using since 2007 pays off,” said Zelnick.

When asked about the future of BioShock, Zelnick did not give a concrete answer, but did agree with an interviewer’s suggestion that the BioShock series has not yet fulfilled its commercial potential. ”The future of BioShock is not yet concrete; all we know is that the series is loved. Its future is certainly something we care about.”

Zelnick acknowledges that the company has also released a number of flops, including one that resulted from a wrong decision by Zelnick himself; the last Duke Nukem game. “But if you never make mistakes, you probably aren’t trying hard enough.”

Red Dead Redemption is said to have ensured Take-Two’s good annual figures in 2010. According to the company, it was the first year in which it made a profit, without coming out with a new GTA game that year. Take-Two registered the brand name City Stories in May, which may indicate a new game in the GTA series. Rockstar is currently developing a new game to be released in 2015 for next-gen consoles.