Take-Two wants to “embrace” cloud gaming, so long as the business model is there

Cloud gaming has long been pegged as the future of video game delivery by many industry heads, and now it seems Take-Two wants in. The Red Dead Redemption 2 publisher wants to “embrace new distribution technology” but only if business models align with the company’s current outlook.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot stated as early as July that he believes modern console gaming is coming to an end, making way for cloud gaming platforms to stream titles directly to various devices. Since then, several companies have thrown their hat in the ring, including Microsoft’s Project xCloud, Google’s Project Stream and even EA’s Project Atlas.

Unfortunately, these technologies are still relatively early in their life, in need of refining in order to deliver the low-latency experience en masse required for success. That is just one hurdle that Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick noted to GamesIndustry.biz. The second relies on what business models technology providers will utilise.

“Any technologies that bring us closer to more consumers in a seamless way is a good thing,” explains Zelnick. “We've always said we embrace new distribution technology. We've been one of the first companies to support new services. I have no doubt that we will support new services going forward, as long as the business models comport with the way we want to address consumers.”

Although Take-Two is likely to be an early adopter of the technology once it’s reached its potential, “there are the business models that will overlay those technologies. And we will want to make sure they are consistent with the way we want to distribute our products,” Zelnick continues. “But, no matter how you want to slice it, there is a big opportunity for us.”

KitGuru Says: It will be interesting to see how cloud gaming shapes up over the next year, specifically considering both Sony and Microsoft have new consoles in development. Business models are also incredibly important to the user, as more monthly costs is something we could all be doing without. What do you think of cloud gaming?

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