Summary
- Take-Two's CEO doesn't see a Red Dead Redemption movie happening soon, citing the risk and limited economic opportunity of film projects.
- While Take-Two has game-based movies in the works, the company will take a selective approach to licensing and won't base future plans on others' execution.
- Take-Two has faced challenges in the movie sector before, as seen with the lukewarm reception to the Max Payne movie, and the Borderlands movie is still a year away.
Take-Two's CEO has offered an update on the possibility of a Red Dead Redemption movie at the company's latest earnings call. Interest in video game adaptations has surged in recent times, particularly after the critical success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Last of Us TV series. While enthusiasm around a Red Dead Redemption movie is seemingly growing strong among fans, the company's CEO clarifies that the situation isn't straightforward.
Following the surge in successful video game adaptations, some are already looking to Take-Two as the next possible hit since the publisher is home to a number of acclaimed titles ranging from Borderlands and Grand Theft Auto to Red Dead Redemption. However, during the latest quarterly investors call, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick commented that this isn't the case and that all film and TV projects carry too much risk for the small economic opportunity they represent. The CEO further stated that the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Last of Us points out that "there are many, many failures where money was lost."
Of course, Take-Two already has a couple of game-based movies in the works in the form of Borderlands and BioShock. While Zelnick indicated that more such projects could happen in the future, he also mentioned that the company will take "a very selective approach to licensing." He went on to state that Take-Two isn't going to bet on the company's future or its IP "based on someone else's execution in another area of the entertainment business." The CEO doesn't specify names, but his statement heavily implies that fans shouldn't expect a Red Dead Redemption movie to happen anytime soon and that the likelihood would partly depend on the success of its existing movie projects.
It's worth noting that the movie sector has already proven tricky for Take-Two. Back in 2008, the Max Payne movie release followed a lukewarm reception from the audience, amassing $40.7 million domestically against a $35 million production budget. The company's present circumstances appear to be equally challenging, especially with the Borderlands movie. The project has been in the works for the past two years and despite claims about its progress, the Borderlands movie is still one year away from release.
Interestingly, the movie space isn't the only area of concern for the company. At the same earnings call, Zelnick defended Red Dead Redemption's Switch port price, which was recently announced as $50. The CEO added that the Switch port title will include the Undead Nightmare expansion, where the DLC was previously released as a standalone offering. It remains to be seen how well the justification will translate to sales by the time the game hits stores. Either way, it will be interesting to see how Take-Two will navigate the future of the Red Dead Redemption franchise.
Source: Take-Two Interactive