The CEO of Rockstar parent company Take-Two has discussed why Grand Theft Auto doesn’t feature more real-world brand collaborations.
Speaking toGamesIndustry.biz,Strauss Zelnicksaid the decision was a creative one driven by Rockstar, whose blockbuster franchise is generally known for parodying brands and aspects of popular culture rather than promoting them.
However, in December 2020 Rockstarintroducedtwo real-world fashion brands, Civilist and MISBHV, toGrand Theft Auto Onlineas part of its The Cayo Perico Heist. The collaborations let players buy clothes from both labels at retailers across Los Santos in GTA Online.
ButTake-Twoboss Zelnick suggested players shouldn’t expect to see an influx of real-world brands in the series any time soon.
“The world of GTA is a fictional world, so to bring real-life brands in, they really have to be iconic and they have to fit within that world,” he said.
“It’s very much a creative decision driven by the team at Rockstar. It’s not a financial decision. We run all of our businesses here in an effort to engage and captivate consumers, and then we figure monetization takes care of itself. We wouldn’t include a brand just based on a financial opportunity in any of our titles.”
Zelnick said other franchises like Take-Two’s NBA and PGA series more naturally lend themselves to featuring brands and even direct advertising.
“So, to bring a real-world experience in requires a lot of thought and sensitivity to consumers, and I think that’s whatRockstar Gamesis known for.”
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Grand Theft Auto 5 and GTA Online werereleased for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in March 2022.
In its full-year earnings report published on Monday, Take-Two claimed GTA 5 has now shipped over 165 million copies since its original release forPS3andXbox 360in September 2013.
The company also seeminglydelayed the mobile version of GTA: The Trilogy – The Definitive Editionfrom the first half of calendar 2022 to later in its current fiscal year ending on Jun 20, 2025.
Rockstar confirmed in February thatGrand Theft Auto 6 is currently in development.
