2K Hires Executive From Gambling Firm Ahead of Expansion Plans

Loot boxes and gambling in video games have been a hot topic this past year. There's not only been massive public backlashes, but a variety of governments from around the world have stepped into the picture with new legislation that deems things like loot boxes as gambling.

That said, microtransactions aren't going anywhere, and likely neither are loot boxes, though the latter is undergoing implementation changes and a general makeover. 2K Games of Take-Two Interactive is one of the largest game publishers in the world, and so naturally they aren't taking any of these changes lightly.

According to 2K president David Ismailer, admist all this hooplah and uproar about loot boxes and microtransactions, it brought on an executive, Phil Dixon, who previously worked at one of the largest gambling companies in Europe. What Dixon's job at 2K is, isn't clear, however, it likely has something to do with in-game monetization.

"One thing we're seeing in the industry is large changes, whether it's distribution platforms or the way we charge consumers, said Ismailer. "I think over the past year–we've brought Melissa Bell on board, who comes to us from Infiniti Motors. We brought Phil Dixon on board, who comes to us from one of the largest gambling companies in Europe.

"As these changes happen in the industry, it's important for us to take on those challenges and decisions we have to make with some outside expertise. Other industries have weathered massive changes in the marketplace, and I think the video game industry is heading exactly into that right now."

Ismailer notes his belief that the video game market is heading into a storm of massive marketplace changes, and mentions how it traditionally has been charging consumers is also changing. It appears to weather this storm, 2K has added Dixon and others. Now, what does it say about the industry and what lies ahead for it when a massive publisher like 2K is in need of an expert from a gambling company, well, I'll leave that up to you.

Elsewhere in the same interview Ismailer notes that 2K is looking to expand, particularly in the strategy game space, suggesting that Firaxis (XCOM, Civilization) will specifically be expanded upon with a new studio.

Further, it is opening other new studios to expand in the AAA space. Ismailer notes the company has more opportunities and ideas than its current staff can support, hence the plans for expansion in multiple areas.

The president also notes that NBA 2K19 has sold over 9 million copies to date, and that the WWE 2K series continues to do better each year.

Lastly, Ismailer confirmed the company is committed to both single-player and multiplayer games going forward, as well as robust post-launch support.

Source: VentureBeat