Take-Two’s CEO Just Admitted the Future Is PC, So Where the Hell Is My GTA VI Port?
Strauss Zelnick says the industry is moving toward "open" platforms, which is rich coming from the company that treats PC players like second-class citizens.
The man who holds the keys to Grand Theft Auto, the single most important console-selling franchise in history, just said the quiet part out loud. Consoles aren't dead, but the walls are crumbling.
Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two, went on CNBC and dropped a bit of a bombshell. He frankly admitted that "business is moving towards open rather than closed" and that the industry is "moving towards PC."
Hearing this from the head of a major publisher is wild. Usually, these guys are terrified of upsetting Sony or Nintendo. But Zelnick seems to see the writing on the wall, even if his release schedules haven't caught up yet.
The Console Is a Vibe, Not a Box
Zelnick made a really interesting distinction. He argued that "console" as a piece of hardware might be fading, but "console" as an experience, sitting on a couch, playing a "rich game" on a big screen, is forever.
He’s absolutely right. Look at what Valve is doing with their new Steam Machine and Deck. Look at Microsoft admitting they want to "revisit conventional wisdom" about the divide.
The plastic box under your TV is becoming less about exclusive hardware and more about just being a convenient way to play PC games. The lines are blurring, and Zelnick is smart enough to see it.
The Mobile Cash Cow
Of course, he also talked about mobile, because that’s where the real, depressing money is.
Take-Two bought Zynga for nearly $13 billion, and it’s paying off. Mobile games accounted for 46% of their net revenue last quarter. That is a staggering amount of cash for tapping on screens.
Zelnick loves it because it's "repeatable." I hate it because it means we get more microtransactions and fewer single-player masterpieces. But money talks, and right now, the phone in your pocket is screaming.
The GTA VI Hypocrisy
Here is the part that makes me want to scream. Zelnick is sitting there, telling the world that "gaming is moving towards PC." He knows it. He believes it.
So why, pray tell, is Grand Theft Auto VI launching exclusively on PS5 and Xbox Series X?
If PC is the future, why are we still doing this archaic 18-month delay for the PC port? The answer, as Reddit user Arelmar pointed out, is obvious: "Take Two loves double or triple dipping too much."
They know PC is the superior platform. They also know I’m a weak, impatient idiot who will buy it on PS5 at launch, and then buy it again on PC two years later for the mods and framerates.
Zelnick is right about the future. I just wish he’d stop exploiting the present to squeeze every last cent out of us before that future arrives