Take-Two Aims For One New IP Per Year

Take-Two Interactive would like to introduce one new IP per year, which it hopes will help it shed the image of being merely the company that publishes Grand Theft Auto.

Take-Two actually has a pretty amazing stable of game franchises, including Manhunt, Bully, BioShock, Max Payne, the new Red Dead Redemption and more, but in the eyes of a lot of people it all comes down to just one: Grand Theft Auto. Take-Two flies high during the so-called “GTA years,” but it struggles in off years. Analysts have also criticized the company for taking too long to make games; in March, Michael Pachter predicted that Max Payne 3 and Mafia 2 would not be profitable because they had suffered through so many delays.

That’s not quite how Take-Two sees things, however. As Vice President of Corporate Communications Alan Lewis pointed out, the company took criticism for pushing back Red Dead Redemption, yet when it came out it was a critical and commercial hit.

“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,” he added.

Lewis said Take-Two believes that the time invested in establishing top-quality franchises will pay off in the long run with a range of games that will serve as a counterweight to Grand Theft Auto, although he acknowledged that the company needs to step it up in some areas. “We’ve spoken publicly about our desire and need to improve upon our execution, and we’ve made strides in doing that,” he said. “Every year we’re going to try to introduce at least one new IP that we hope over the long term will work well for us.”