Take-Two: Non-GTA years too costly

Publisher Take-Two has said it needs to expand in order to turn a profit in years that lack a new Grand Theft Auto release.

Speaking to the LA Times, Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick said: We have a worldwide distribution and publishing footprint, and in a GTA year that cost basis is fine, but in a non-GTA year it’s too high.

We need to get bigger.”

When GTA IV was released in 2008 Take-Two posted a net income of $97m, but in 2009 it generated a loss of $138m.

The news comes ahead of an expected shake-up tomorrow where shareholders will elect representatives of investor Carl Icahn to three of its eight seats on the board.

The barometer is when we are profitable in a non-GTA year,” Zelnick added. I think we can get there. I certainly aspire to it.”

Upcoming games from Take-Two include new IP LA Noire and Red Dead Redemption, which developer Rockstar described as its most ambitious game to date”.

Take-Two CEO Ben Feder previously told MCV there’s more to the publisher than GTA games.