2K parent company Take-Two remains "highly sceptical" of video game subscription services

Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of developers like 2K and Rockstar, says it remains "highly sceptical" of game subscription services like Xbox Game Pass.

In a Q&A that followed a recent earnings call, Take-Two president Karl Slatoff acknowledged that while the company was "open-minded" and had made its games available on such services in the past, it's not convinced that subscriptions will be "the only way or the primary way" games will be distributed and played.

He further added that the "price point" for owning a game, "is very reasonable and very, very low, actually, on a per hour basis".

"I don't think our views have changed much. We're open-minded," Slatoff said in the call (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."

That said, he did acknowledge that "subscriptions can play a role in delivering catalogue".

"We've supported numerous subscriptions, subscription offerings with catalogue titles, I imagine we'll continue to do so. And in any case, at the end of the day, the consumer will decide and we will be where the consumer is."

ICYMI, Take-Two - which already owns publishing labels 2K, Rockstar Games, and Private Division - recently announced it had made a non-binding proposal to acquire Codemasters' entire share capital.

Should Take-Two decide to proceed with the offer once confirmatory due diligence is complete and other conditions have been met, Codemasters says its board intends to unanimously recommend that its shareholders accept the deal.