Strauss Zelnick Wants Take Two to Get Bigger

Gran Theft Auto IV was a huge launch and the franchise itself is one of the biggest in videogame history. But publisher Take Two is still struggling to be profitable year over year, being described by most as a one-horse company, which needs to pump out GTA related products to make money. 2010 is the year when all this is set to change.

Talking to the L.A. Times, Strauss Zelnick, who is the chairman of Take Two, said “We have a worldwide distribution and publishing footprint, and in a GTA year that cost basis is fine, but in a non-GTA year it's too high.” His conclusion is that his company actually needs to grow and develop new franchises, aiming to reach a point “when we are profitable in a non-GTA year. I think we can get there. I certainly aspire to it”.

This year will be an important test for the publisher. It has put out BioShock 2 near the beginning of the year and it also plans to launch other non-GTA titles, like Read Dead Redemption, which is developed by Rockstar, Mafia, which is put together by 2K Czech and has been delayed several times, L.A. Noire and Civilization V. There are also sport games in the works at 2K Sports. Take Two hopes to end the fiscal year with a profit or at least a smaller loss while also expanding its operations and launching new projects.

In the meantime, changes might be coming to the leadership in the company. Analysts are saying that some investors are annoyed by the decision taken by Stauss Zelnick to fight back against the 2 billion dollars take over offer which Electronic Arts put forward and Carl Icahn, one of the most shrewd investors on the market and the owner of more than 11% of the publisher, is aiming to elect three new board members and might aim to relieve Strauss Zelnick from his position.