Rockstar parent Take-Two says it's "highly sceptical" of game subscription services

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"We're highly sceptical that subscriptions will be the only way or the primary way that interactive entertainment is distributed"

GTA V
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

The parent company of Rockstar, Take-Two Interactive, says it is "highly sceptical" of subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and EA Play. 

In an investors call following the company's earnings call, Take-Two president Karl Slatoff said that while the firm was "open-minded", it doesn't think subscriptions will be "the only way or the primary way" gamers will play in the future. 

"I don't think our views have changed much. We're open-minded," Slatoff told a caller who asked for the company's views (thanks, GI.biz). "We're highly sceptical that subscriptions will be the only way or the primary way that interactive entertainment is distributed.

“That’s because of the way people consume it. And the price point for owning a title, which is very reasonable and very, very low, actually, on a per hour basis."

He further added that while the company had supported such services in the past – both GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 have been available on Xbox Game Pass – and expects to continue to "play a role in delivering catalogue", "at the end of the day, the consumer will decide and we will be where the consumer is".

We also recently learned that Take-Two Interactive is in talks to acquire Codemasters, the storied British studio behind racing series F1 and Dirt. In an investor memo made public on Friday, Codemasters revealed that they'd been given a buyout offer from Take-Two for $973 million.

As Jordan reported yesterday, Codemasters is currently celebrating today's release of Dirt 5, which marks a departure from the series, and includes an involved story mode featuring two of the biggest names in voice talent: Nolan North and Troy Baker. A little earlier in the year, the studio released the F1 2020, the 13th entry in the Formula 1 racing series.

Here are all the upcoming PS5 games and upcoming Xbox Series X games that we know of. 

Vikki Blake
Vikki Blake
Weekend Reporter, GamesRadar+

Vikki Blake is GamesRadar+'s Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter.