Over the past few months, many video game industry figures have come out both in support of and against NFTs. Following suit, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has also come forward as a supporter of the crypto-backed scheme, albeit with a few caveats.
As part of its quarterly earnings call, Zelnick spoke about the company’s future after acquiring mobile game company Zynga as well as the possibility of adding digital goods into its games.
Why Take-Two sees ‘opportunity’ in NFTs
Speaking with Gamesindustry.biz, Zelnick admitted that skeptics can get things right, and brought up stereoscopic 3D technology as one example. However, Zelnick also mentions that they aren’t always correct either.
And in the case of NFTs, Zelnick says that the company is a firm believer; understandable, as Take-Two has made literal millions off of purchasable vehicles and items in virtual worlds like GTA Online. In that sense, the CEO says that they “believe in rare goods … [and] collectibles.”
However, there’s still one aspect of NFTs that Zelnick doesn’t like: speculation.
We want to make sure that consumers always have a good experience every time they engage with our properties. And losing money on a speculation is not a good experience, so we’re going to stay away from speculation.
The sentiment is a strange one, considering one of the key selling points of NFTs is that people can buy them as a form of investment. Speculation and the prospect of making a profit off of your purchase simply come with the territory. It’s a sentiment that likely stems from past examples of companies receiving backlash over their involvement in the crypto space.
That being said, Zelnick hasn’t ruled out the possibility of bringing NFTs into Take-Two games. Quite the opposite, in fact, as Zelnick says the company is “highly convinced there’s an opportunity for NFTs to fit with Take-Two’s offerings in the future.” This brings up the possibility of NFTs appearing in video games from the Grand Theft Auto series to Red Dead Redemption, NBA 2K, and many more.
In other news, actor Tom Holland stated that he is interested in doing a Jak & Daxter movie after starring as Nathan Drake in an upcoming live-action adaptation of Uncharted. Platinum Games’ new CEO also revealed that the company is interested in developing “long-term” games, indicating a possible push into live-service titles.
UPDATE: A previous version of this article listed Borderlands as one potential Take-Two property. However, Gearbox PR reached out to us to reiterate comments previously made by CEO Randy Pitchford, in which he called them “more pyramid than ponzi, but in the same scam family.”
