Journalist Jessica Toonkel drew a direct response from Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick when she suggested that the company, which owns Rockstar, did not have enough major hits beyond GTA. He challenged that assessment by naming Red Dead Redemption, NBA 2K and other franchises in its catalogue.
The exchange took place during a Wall Street Journal interview conducted by journalist Jessica Toonkel at WSJ Tech California on November 4. The clip circulated online because of the contrast between the question and the executive’s reaction.
The question that prompted the response
Toonkel raised the concern that GTA 6 was the company’s big hit and that its catalogue did not contain enough other major successes. She then asked how Zelnick would respond to that assessment.
The executive challenged the premise with numbers. He said Take-Two has 15 franchises with at least one individual release that sold five million units or more.
Zelnick also described the company’s collection of owned brands as the best in the video game industry. He pointed to revenue, financial results and stock market value to support his response. He ended that argument with a brief message.
Examine the facts.
Red Dead and other brands entered the conversation
His list included Red Dead Redemption, NBA 2K, WWE 2K, BioShock, Borderlands and Civilization. He also mentioned GTA Online and the company’s mobile games.
Take-Two owns Rockstar and 2K, which publishes games such as NBA 2K, WWE 2K, Borderlands and Civilization.
The group also acquired Zynga, the mobile games company that became known on Facebook through titles such as FarmVille and Mafia Wars. The acquisition was completed on May 23, 2022, expanding Take-Two’s presence in mobile games.
