As the latest business figures from the US publisher were released, Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, sat down for several insightful interviews with prominent magazines. In one such discussion with IGN, Zelnick addressed the significant leak of “GTA 6” that shook the gaming world last September.
At the time, pre-alpha footage and images from the highly anticipated open-world adventure found their way onto the internet, causing a massive stir among fans.
Zelnick candidly admitted that the leak was a major setback for the teams at Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games, both emotionally and professionally. The impact of the leak is still palpable today and continues to be a source of internal discussion, according to Zelnick.
The CEO emphasized that such incidents are never taken lightly and the necessary measures have been put in place to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Take-Two Interactive Reports Losses for the Last Quarter of the Year
“We take leaks very seriously and they disappoint all of us,” Zelnick continued. “It is really annoying and frustrating for the team. But still. From a business standpoint, it does not affect us. But personally and emotionally, it has affected our teams. “
According to its annual report released this week, Take-Two Interactive ended the third quarter of its current fiscal year (October 1 to December 31, 2022) with a loss of $153.4 million. Compared to the same quarter last year, revenues rose 55 percent to $1.407 billion.
Take-Two Interactive plans to cut $50 million in costs over the next few months in light of the losses, Zelnick added. However, this does not mean that the U.S. publisher is planning a significant reduction in the number of employees.
On the contrary, Zelnick assured that Take-Two Interactive intends to make only a few layoffs, at least in the short term, and to make its internal processes more efficient.
With Marvel’s Midnight Suns not yet living up to internal expectations, GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 have achieved the next major milestones.
More than 50 million copies of the western adventure have now been shipped or sold digitally. Sales of GTA 5 surpassed 175 million copies in the last quarter.
