Take-Two Interactive has had a good year thus far. With the successful release of Red Dead Redemption, the possibilities of entirely new IP coming to fruition every year is a very real possibility.
Though Take-Two is most famously known for the Grand Theft Auto series, and though investors, analysts and anyone interested in the gaming world eagerly awaits the next GTA title, Take-Two insists that other IP can be just as profitable, as demonstrated by Red Dead. 17 individual franchises from Take-Two have each sold over 1 million units, with 8 of those selling over 5 million units.
Rather famously, Take-Two is also known for long development cycles between games. Though Take-Two enjoys high ratings on games, the high cost and frequent delays are noted as a “lack of discipline” by analyst Michael Pachter. The aim for a new IP a year therefore becomes a lofty goal.
Corporate communications VP Alan Lewis says he can’t blame those that raise concerns. He does, however, offer up the idea that even with delays and cost, many critics are considering the games from Take-Two as contenders for Game of the Year.
“The title had moved, as people know, and I think if you look at the quality of the game and what it's doing in the market, the fact is that it illustrates that to make a great game, sometimes you need to give the developers ample time to make something great," Lewis told Gamasutra. "We certainly feel like it was worth the additional time that was put in. Not only the quality, but the consumer response has shown us it is worthwhile to do that."
"We don't take the movement of any title lightly, but I think that what you're seeing with Red Dead Redemption underscores the fact that when you do have to make those difficult decisions, ultimately those results will benefit everybody."
