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Subscribe from just £3 Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£9.99Subscribe now Tell us what you think of GamesRadar+ Battlefield 6 Switch 2 stock Horror Special Recommended reading Grand Theft Auto Take-Two boss makes lofty GTA 6 promises, despite sky-high hype: "Rockstar Games is trying to create the best thing anyone's ever seen in entertainment" Grand Theft Auto Take-Two boss dodges GTA 6 pricing as $80 games loom: "We've had variable pricing at the company forever" Grand Theft Auto Rockstar's arguably "been putting out a new GTA release a couple of times a year," says Take-Two CEO who reckons GTA Online updates could count as "standalone" games $80 games have retreated for now, but analyst says the old $60 or $70 pricing model is dead in the "Wild West" of 2025: "I know a lot of people don't like it, but people still buy these games at these high price points" Grand Theft Auto As fans fear $100 GTA 6 but Mafia is only $50, Take-Two CEO says "we've always had variable pricing," because if a game's a hit "the revenue is going to take care of itself" Grand Theft Auto Take-Two's CEO says GTA 5 is the "standard-bearer for our industry," but even he found the GTA 6 hype "pretty astonishing" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 publisher says GTA 6 and Rockstar can make ballooning AAA budgets and team sizes work, but "there's been a lot of irresponsible practices in the industry" from others who can't Take-Two boss says good games are the new bad games: "Some of our competitors have realized maybe a little late in the day that consumers are not okay with okay" Austin Wood 7 August 2025 "Good is the new bad, great is the new great" When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Rockstar Games) Amid heightened competition and expectations in gaming, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick reckons good games just don't cut it anymore – or, as he put it, "good is the new bad." Speaking with IGN, Zelnick sizes up the steady rise of AAA development costs and lengthening production timelines. "I think it's a reflection of the fact that as entertainment businesses mature, consumers seek quality and everyone realizes that the consumer is highly demanding and properly so," he said. Acknowledging "a precious few times" Take-Two studios have missed the mark in pursuit of "the best entertainment," Zelnick said the company "would like to fail fast if we're going to fail." You may like Take-Two boss makes lofty GTA 6 promises, despite sky-high hype: "Rockstar Games is trying to create the best thing anyone's ever seen in entertainment" Take-Two boss dodges GTA 6 pricing as $80 games loom: "We've had variable pricing at the company forever" Rockstar's arguably "been putting out a new GTA release a couple of times a year," says Take-Two CEO who reckons GTA Online updates could count as "standalone" games He also doubles down on the best of the best: "I think some of our competitors have realized maybe a little late in the day that consumers are not okay with okay. Good is the new bad, great is the new great. And our goal here is to make everything exceptional." As you'd expect of the head of Rockstar's parent company, Zelnick has repeatedly talked up GTA 6 as the best thing since sliced bread, defending the decision to delay the game to maximize quality. "Rockstar Games is trying to create the best thing anyone's ever seen in entertainment," he said earlier this year. And as ever, conversations around quality, expectations, and development costs are colored by the scope and price of the games involved. A company as large as Take-Two will see the industry differently, and face different risks and opportunity costs, than the vast majority of game developers. Even among the AAA bracket, there's only one Rockstar, and there's only one GTA 6. Zelnick was quick to clarify that he's not singling out or grilling any one studio in particular here. "This is really hard stuff, and you don't want to criticize someone for sticking with their creative talent, supporting them and trying to get a great result," he said. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. (Image credit: Rockstar Games) That said, his comments seem to parallel topical sentiments regarding reception and saturation in games. Most notably, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot suggested last month that the industry is "a highly competitive environment where players are very sensitive to the quality and content of games." Guillemot argued that "the success of a video game depends as much on the efficiency of its development process as on its launch," and listed "bashing" from people online as a "high" risk factor. Guillemot added: "The changing perception of the video game industry as a cultural and artistic medium is also leading to an increase in criticism based on ideological or societal considerations, sometimes to the detriment of technical or gameplay aspects. This trend increases the risk for publishers such as Ubisoft of being exposed to controversy relating to social, moral or identity standards associated with their productions." This wasn't the first time we heard this rhetoric from Ubisoft, either. In September 2024, following the less-than-stellar reception of Star Wars Outlaws, Guillemot mirrored Zelnick's remarks even more closely, arguing that "delivering solid quality is no longer enough" when you're in a "challenging market" filled "with gamers expecting extraordinary experiences." This followed a February 2024 "turnaround" for Ubisoft, with the company pointing to Assassin's Creed Mirage as a sign of its push toward "consistently creating and delivering high-quality, long-lasting games," which read like tacit admission that the company's output had been less than consistently great. Analyst Mat Piscatella, games lead at Circana, attributes some of this effect to the dominance of accessible live service games. "It's like the substitution effect, right?" Piscatella told GamesRadar+. "You can go play game A and pay X dollars to get in the door, or you can just fire up the game you're already playing, your forever game that you've been playing for, in some cases, 7 to 10 years, right? That's the choice people are making now." 20-year Rockstar vet Lazlow has been Grand Theft Auto's radio host since GTA 3, but he doubts he'll appear in GTA 6: "It was an amazing journey." See more Games News Xbox Series X PlayStation Austin Wood Social Links Navigation Senior writer Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Take-Two boss makes lofty GTA 6 promises, despite sky-high hype: "Rockstar Games is trying to create the best thing anyone's ever seen in entertainment" Take-Two boss dodges GTA 6 pricing as $80 games loom: "We've had variable pricing at the company forever" Rockstar's arguably "been putting out a new GTA release a couple of times a year," says Take-Two CEO who reckons GTA Online updates could count as "standalone" games $80 games have retreated for now, but analyst says the old $60 or $70 pricing model is dead in the "Wild West" of 2025: "I know a lot of people don't like it, but people still buy these games at these high price points" As fans fear $100 GTA 6 but Mafia is only $50, Take-Two CEO says "we've always had variable pricing," because if a game's a hit "the revenue is going to take care of itself" Take-Two's CEO says GTA 5 is the "standard-bearer for our industry," but even he found the GTA 6 hype "pretty astonishing" Latest in Games Take-Two boss dodges GTA 6 pricing as $80 games loom: "We've had variable pricing at the company forever" BioShock 4 has "had some ups and downs along the way," but Take-Two CEO promises "hand on heart, without question" that the immersive sim is "going to come out" Doom: The Dark Ages update 2 looks like a massive improvement across the board, and a horde mode and slow-motion toggle are just the start: "This ain’t an update… This be a BUFFET!!!" Final Fantasy 10 dev reminds players obsessed with retro-style PS1 graphics in modern games that, back in my day, those graphics were a problem 30 years later, Doom-era FPS cult classics Heretic and Hexen get "definitive re-release" on PC and consoles complete with 2 new episodes from id and retro powerhouse Nightdive With an origin story unbelievably close to Risk of Rain, a studio of Korean MOBA fans are making the most exciting new roguelike I've played all year Latest in News Take-Two boss dodges GTA 6 pricing as $80 games loom: "We've had variable pricing at the company forever" RIP to Goosebumps, as Disney Plus cancels the kids' horror show after 2 seasons BioShock 4 has "had some ups and downs along the way," but Take-Two CEO promises "hand on heart, without question" that the immersive sim is "going to come out" Doom: The Dark Ages update 2 looks like a massive improvement across the board, and a horde mode and slow-motion toggle are just the start: "This ain’t an update… This be a BUFFET!!!" Final Fantasy 10 dev reminds players obsessed with retro-style PS1 graphics in modern games that, back in my day, those graphics were a problem 30 years later, Doom-era FPS cult classics Heretic and Hexen get "definitive re-release" on PC and consoles complete with 2 new episodes from id and retro powerhouse Nightdive GAME REVIEWS MOVIE REVIEWS Is This Seat Taken? review: "I can't believe organizing seating charts can be this charming" Legend in the Mist review: "Incredible flourishes on press-your-luck mechanics to incentivise tough decisions" Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound review: "Absolutely proves Ninja Gaiden deserved to be revived – I've never been happier to be right" Grounded 2 review: "I'm already having terrific fun thanks to ant buggies and a massive new park to explore, even if this sequel is slightly safe" Tales of the Shire review: "As a long-time Tolkien fan, I'm both pleasantly surprised and slightly frustrated at what should've been my dream Lord of the Rings game" Weapons review: "A twisted fairytale that bests Barbarian" The Fantastic Four: First Steps review: "An occasionally thrilling heroic adventure that sits safely within a B-tier MCU range" Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU" Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber" M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion" Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: "Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots" Alien: Earth review: "Arguably the franchise's strongest outing since James Cameron's Aliens" King of the Hill season 14 review: "Hank Hill himself has evolved into a much more open and accepting person" Eyes of Wakanda review: "A creative premise shortchanged by the runtime and Marvel bloat" Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever" GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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