Grand Theft Auto IV is going to be vastly better than expectations

posted on: maxconsole.net

Take-Two Chairman Strauss Zelnick has said that he is much more interested in growing Take-Two than in selling it. He believes that the next five to seven years this is a terrific time to be in the video game business. He also said that he sees four to six publishers dominating the gaming side of an industry in the future. When speaking about the delay Grand Theft Auto IV, he said that it will be beneficial. “I believe this release, ‘Grand Theft Auto IV,’ is going to be vastly better than those expectations — vastly better — and that’s hard to do when expectations are so high,” he said.

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There has been much talk among industry analysts this year that Zelnick, who led a group of investors in ousting Take-Two management in March, could be preparing to sell the company to a larger publisher such as Electronic Arts Inc (ERTS.O: Quote, Profile, Research).

Zelnick said Take-Two was “a very efficient enterprise now” as a result of recent divestitures, such as the sale of its gaming accessory business.

“I imagine we will try to find greater efficiencies but they probably won’t be through headcount. I imagine headcount will grow. This is a growth business. We are in growth mode,” Zelnick said.

Zelnick, who has a reputation as a turnaround artist for ailing companies, said he tried to time his entry into video games ahead of an expected growth spurt as more consumers buy new home gaming systems like Microsoft Corp’s (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) Xbox 360 and Sony Corp’s (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) PlayStation 3.

But fancy new systems also mean higher production costs for game makers, and Zelnick believes four to six publishers will end up dominating the gaming side of an industry set to hit $40 billion in global sales of hardware and software this year.

“From a general point of view I think you’ll see some industry consolidation. It’s hard to imagine that you wouldn’t,” Zelnick told the summit in New York.

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