Summary
Take-Two’s CEO has offered an update on the possibility of aRed Dead Redemptionmovie at the company’s latest earnings call. Interest in video game adaptations has surged in recent times, particularly after the critical success ofThe Super Mario Bros. MovieandThe Last of UsTV series. Whileenthusiasm around aRed Dead Redemptionmovieis seemingly growing strong among fans, the company’s CEO clarifies that the situation isn’t straightforward.
Following the surge in successful video game adaptations, some are already looking to Take-Two as the next possible hit since the publisher is home to a number of acclaimed titles ranging fromBorderlandsandGrand Theft AutotoRed Dead Redemption. However, during the latest quarterly investors call, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick commented that this isn’t the case and that all film and TV projects carry too much risk for the small economic opportunity they represent. The CEO further stated that the success ofThe Super Mario Bros. MovieandThe Last of Uspoints out that “there are many, many failures where money was lost.”
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Of course,Take-Twoalready has a couple of game-based movies in the works in the form ofBorderlandsandBioShock. While Zelnick indicated that more such projects could happen in the future, he also mentioned that the company will take “a very selective approach to licensing.” He went on to state that Take-Two isn’t going to bet on the company’s future or its IP “based on someone else’s execution in another area of the entertainment business.” The CEO doesn’t specify names, but his statement heavily implies that fans shouldn’t expect aRed Dead Redemptionmovie to happen anytime soon and that the likelihood would partly depend on the success of its existing movie projects.
It’s worth noting that the movie sector has already proven tricky for Take-Two. Back in 2008, theMax Paynemovie release followed a lukewarm reception from the audience, amassing $40.7 million domestically against a $35 million production budget. The company’s present circumstances appear to be equally challenging, especially with theBorderlandsmovie. The project has been in the works for the past two years and despite claims about its progress, theBorderlandsmovie is still one year awayfrom release.
Interestingly, the movie space isn’t the only area of concern for the company. At the same earnings call,Zelnick defendedRed Dead Redemption’s Switch port price, which was recently announced as $50. The CEO added that the Switch port title will include the Undead Nightmare expansion, where the DLC was previously released as a standalone offering. It remains to be seen how well the justification will translate to sales by the time the game hits stores. Either way, it will be interesting to see howTake-Twowill navigate the future of theRed Dead Redemptionfranchise.
