Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick Sees Both Peril And Potential In Play-To-Earn Games

thegamer.com:

Chief Executive Officer of Take-Two Interactive Strauss Zelnick thinks that free-to-play games might just have a future. While he doesn’t think they’re quite ready for prime time, Zelnick does however see some potential in them.

Zelnick is known for his reticent approach to new trends in the games industry. When asked about free-to-play games during a recent interview, the executive said that he wasn’t surprised by their persistent failure to attract interest. Zelnick basically thinks they’re boring.

"The play-to-earn games aren't either one,” Zelnick remarked. “They're not highly entertaining and they're not regulated nor are their economics transparent — and I think consumers are having predictable feelings about that. None of this surprises me at all.”

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While he wasn’t surprised by their slow start, the executive however noted that play-to-earn games could eventually find their fun. “Let's not call into question the underlying technology just because so far the expression of that technology has been inside of speculation,” Zelnick said. “Speculations always come to an end. The technology will still exist and it all depends on what you do with it. I remain sanguine that there's a lot to be done with it that's exciting."

Zelnick took a very similar stance when NFTs became the latest trend. The executive expressed interest, but showed a great deal of caution. He said during an interview last year that "if you believe in collectible physical goods, I don't know why you wouldn't believe in collectible digital goods.” He went on to say that “I'm a big believer, but what I don't believe is that just because something is digital or