The publisher over at Take-Two knows a thing or two about solid games. They are at the top of studios that have brought us titles like Borderlands, BioShowck, Red Dead, and Grand Theft Auto (to name a few). Some of these titles, despite having a few years on their timeline, still remain the highest grossing games of all time. So to say this brand knows gaming would be a massive understatement. In a recent interview, the CEO of Take-Two also knows a thing or two about throwing out some massive shade.
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The two main focuses of Strauss Zelnick’s ire was both EA and Ubisoft. When speaking with GamesBeat, he did not mince words when it came to Electronic Arts and how they handle business:
“Take a look at our quality versus theirs [EA’s]. I don’t think it’s realistic to say to people, “We think you’re the best creators in the business. Come in and do your best work. Oh, and incidentally, you have to use this technology over here.” We do care what the technology is. We do care how much we spend on development. Rockstar has a proprietary engine. Within the 2K label, there are proprietary engines. We also license external software.”
He added, “We don’t think there’s much of a percentage in having a corporate engine. Midway had a vaunted corporate engine, corporate technology library. Midway filed for bankruptcy. There’s little evidence that having a corporate technology system is in service of the best entertainment properties. But reasonable people can disagree about that. It’s not our strategy.”
You didn’t think he was done, did you? Next up on the “shots fired” train focuses solely on Ubisoft, a company that has actually pleasantly surprised fans over the last two years with their reaction to feedback. Still, Zelnick did not hold back hitting them where it hurts – their money, “We are a global business, but we’re not that big. We have 4,200 people. We have 17 studio locations. It’s not that far-flung. We’re still able to get our arms around it,” he said. “They [Ubisoft] have 14,000 people, and their revenue is less than ours. We don’t understand it.”
It may seem a little jarring but honestly – they’ve kind of earned their right. Red Dead is an incredibly iconic series and GTA 5 continues to shatter records, despite having been out for years now. So far, neither company has responded but get that tea ready just in case.
