Take-Two is one of the largest publishers in the gaming industry. With ownership of IPs like Grand Theft Auto and NBA 2K, the publisher has a strong portfolio of live service games.
GTA Online alone continues to be a massive contributor to the publisher’s revenue, bringing in record-breaking numbers with each quarterly earnings report. The latest Grand Theft Auto entry has also sold over 180 million units.
Following impressive player spending on online titles like GTA Online, Take-Two has paid its top executives extremely well. As reported by Axios, CEO Strauss Zelnick, and President Karl Slatoff made over $72 million this year.
Why it matters: Microtransactions have proven highly profitable for the gaming industry. Take-Two is the perfect example of a publisher thriving on player spending, leading to incredible amounts of revenue for their executives.
Since Take-Two continues to see record-breaking results with each new report, the gaming giant has doubled the pay for its executives. The $72 million figure is over twice the amount from 2022.
The two executives are paid through ZMC, and ZMC relies heavily on microtransactions. According to the report, 25% of the $43.8 million for ZMC relies on microtransaction performance for Take-Two titles.
GTA Online is undoubtedly the most important piece of the puzzle for Take-Two. It has millions of players each month and continues to see increased spending thanks to new content with each update.
However, this could be just the beginning of a long and successful road for Take-Two. While games like GTA Online have always been successful, live-service gaming has been overhauled over the last few years.
With introductions like battle passes, players have become accustomed to spending money on games on a seasonal basis. Similar inclusions in the next iteration of GTA Online could lead to even higher revenues for top executives.
CEO Strauss Zelnick has already said that Take-Two expects record-breaking profits in FY2025. This window likely includes the much-awaited GTA 6, which could sell over 25 million copies at launch.
Furthermore, the gaming giant plans to release two remasters by March next year. While both of them have not been confirmed, a new version of Red Dead Redemption is expected to be announced soon, whether it be a remaster or remake.
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[News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than three years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
