If Take-Two is recording losses and planning a new savings plan, the group still has solid enthusiasm for Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 while awaiting the release of GTA 6.
group Take two It has just presented accounts for its third financial quarter (corresponding to the last three months of 2023), marked by a turnover set at 1.37 billion dollars (down 3% year-on-year) for net sales of 1.34 billion (-3). %) and a net loss of 91.6 million dollars (the group has significantly reduced it compared to the 153 million loss recorded during the same period last year).
Sales are still strong for GTA and Red Dead Redemption 2
However, the take-two presentations are an opportunity for the group to puff its chest with sales figures for its core licenses. If NBA 2K24 turned out to be a little less effective than its predecessor NBA 2K23The basketball game, however, has sold seven million copies (compared to eight for the 2023 edition during the same period).
The most impressive figures, however, remain those of the titles A famous singerA subsidiary of Take-Two: Grand Theft Auto 5 has sold a total of 195 million units and despite being over ten years old, the game claims to have “the highest increase in the number of new accounts”. Grand Theft Auto Online Thanks to his Chop Shop update, deployed for the holidays. A similar observation for Red Dead Redemption 2 Which now represents over 61 million copies sold. We also remember that Take-Two was purchased in 2022 Jinga Expanding its list of mobile games and even there, the studio achieved a “better than expected” performance.
Challenges facing the release of GTA 6
Along with the release of the group’s account, we also remember a short line from Take-Two’s boss, Strauss Zelnick, who asked about its release date. Grand Theft Auto 6. We know that Rockstar is looking to launch in 2025.
According to Strauss Zelnick, Rockstar is a studio that “strives for perfection” and as such, a game’s release will be considered “when we believe the game will be flawless on a creative level”. Yet the economic stakes are significant and make it clear: the launch date of the game is always the result of a delicate balance between “the search for perfection and the need to put it on the market” to make the investment profitable. . He believes that Rockstar “leans more towards perfection.”
In addition to the declarations of intent, the question is important because Strauss-Zelnick also mentioned the need for a new “cost-cutting plan” already announced last year. The boss did not elaborate on the details, but insisted that the next plan will be “stronger” than the previous one. So layoffs at take-two are expected (“because it’s time to be really efficient”), but not only that. “The group’s biggest expense is actually marketing,” insists Strauss-Zelnick. He concludes: “Marketing optimization will therefore be the best way to ensure that a business becomes more efficient.” Especially as we imagine it GTA 6 It doesn’t need a big promotion to sell like hot cakes.
