The exec’s reasoning is that people buy games like Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 for $60, but then they can enjoy their online modes entirely free of charge. “We deliver the highest quality experiences in the business and we charge much less for them than we believe they’re worth to consumers,” Zelnick said. “And then we deliver typically an ongoing component that is free. And that’s already a great deal of value at any monetisation, of course, it’s totally optional.” Back to the core of the question, Zelnick said that Take-Two is “open-minded” about its business models for its games. “I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that at some point, certain experiences can become free as a matter of the entry point,” he said. “I like what I consider ’tethered’ free-to-play where 100% of the people acknowledge the value of the title and pay to play it. And on an ongoing basis, you have what is effectively a free-to-play experience attached to that can go on for many years. Grand Theft Auto Online, of course, has been successful for seven years and is expected to set a new record in this fiscal year, amazingly enough.”
