Take-Two Interactive, the publishing company which owns both Rockstar Games and 2K, released its first-quarter financial results on August 8. There are some pretty impressive numbers in there.
Overall, Take-Two is in a strong position, kicking off its financial year with a net booking of $1.2 billion, as chairman and chief officer Strauss Zelnick stated in a conference call. The Red Dead franchise is highlighted, with Zelnick revealing that Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold over 55 million copies. Grand Theft Auto 5 and NBA 2K23 also receive a spotlight here. According to Zelnick, they exceeded the company’s expectations, proving the “long-lasting benefits of producing the highest-quality offerings.”
Red Dead and Grand Theft Auto are still cash cows
Red Dead Redemption 2 left a strong impression in 2018 thanks to its large scope and immersive realism. Rockstar’s investment in the game seems to have paid off, as it is one of the studio’s bestselling titles. News of RDR 2’s latest sales figures comes just after the announcement of PS4 and Switch ports of Red Dead Redemption.
The Grand Theft Auto franchise was also discussed at length. GTA 5 has “sold-in more than 185 million units,” according to Zelnick. GTA: Online continues to print money for Rockstar, and in June it “recorded more players than any other June in its history outside of the height of the pandemic.” The online phenomenon also rakes money in through the GTA+ subscription service which Zelnick claims is still seeing strong growth in adoption with every passing quarter.
Though Rockstar titles received a lot of attention, they didn’t hog the entire spotlight. Sporting titles by 2K have also performed well. NBA 2K23 has “sold-in over 13 million units, representing 11% year-over-year growth.” The game has the franchise’s “highest sell-through ever – with only NBA 2K20 achieving higher unit sales.” WWE 2K23 was also mentioned, with Zelnick describing it as “the highest-rated game in our wrestling franchise’s history and the second highest-rated sports simulation title of the year.”
Both Rockstar and 2K are performing well financially, and they have big titles ahead. While 2K continues with its lucrative sporting franchises, Rockstar is hard at work on Grand Theft Auto 6. Despite a controversial leak last year, Rockstar has yet to announce a release date for the long-awaited sequel.
