Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick pushed back when asked if the company had enough hits outside of GTA 6, telling the interviewer to "examine the facts." Pointing out that Take-Two has 15 franchises with individual releases selling over 5 million units, he rattled off titles including NBA 2K and Red Dead Redemption. In particular, his bewildered expression upon hearing the question went viral online.
The question was raised on November 4, local time, during Zelnick's session at the WSJ Tech: California event hosted by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The session was titled "The Biggest Launch in Gaming," moderated by Jessica Toonkel, deputy media editor at the WSJ.
Immediately preceding the viral question, the discussion touched on Take-Two's stock price. Deputy Editor Toonkel noted that Take-Two's share price had fallen over 20% despite the upcoming release of GTA 6, asking what the market was failing to understand. CEO Zelnick brushed it off, stating that he doesn't fight the market and that if you stick to the fundamentals, the rest will follow.
Toonkel then followed up twice, asking if there wasn't a concern. She pressed further, asking how he would knock down concerns that, while GTA 6 is a massive hit, Take-Two does not have enough hits in its library. Coming out of the discussion on the stock price drop, her question addressed market concerns regarding Take-Two's revenue concentration on the GTA series.
However, from CEO Zelnick's perspective, the question was baffling. Hearing the question, Zelnick responded that Take-Two owns 15 franchises that have each sold at least 5 million units in an individual release, calling it the best collection of owned IP in the video game business. He explained that this is already reflected in the company's revenue, profit, and market cap. As for the concern, he simply replied, "Examine the facts."
He went on to mention Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption, noting that its recent release sold over 65 million units, along with Red Dead Online and GTA Online. He also highlighted NBA 2K—the world's second-biggest sports title and #1 in North America—as well as WWE 2K, BioShock, Borderlands, and Civilization. On the mobile front, he cited Words With Friends and hundreds of others, concluding that it makes for "a pretty good story."
A short video clip capturing CEO Zelnick's stunned reaction spread rapidly online. Criticism mounted against the interviewer, with online comments asking if she knew anything about the gaming industry while interviewing Take-Two's CEO, and pointing out how absurd it was to claim a publisher housing Rockstar lacked hit titles.
However, looking at the full interview video, some countered that the question was not stating Take-Two has no hits, but rather expressing concern over over-reliance on a single massive hit like GTA 6. Conversely, others argued that the delivery and framing of the question naturally invited such backlash.
Meanwhile, Take-Two will report its Q2 fiscal earnings (July–September) on November 9, local time. This marks its final earnings release prior to the launch of GTA 6. GTA 6 is scheduled to release on November 19 for PS5 and XSX.
