“At least not yet,” Take-Two’s boss shared his views on the state of PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass.

Game subscription services such as PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass have almost certainly impacted how we in the hardcore sphere perceive the value of video games. But they have not yet had a significant impact on how big publishers do business. At least, that’s the view of Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick.

The boss recently reassured investors (via Seeking Alpha) that the publisher’s releases will only be added to subscriptions “at the appropriate time”. In other words, Take-Two doesn’t want to launch its titles directly on platforms like PS Plus. “We think that’s the right way to support subscription,” Zelnick continued.

He goes on to outline the company’s general view on such services, essentially saying that game subscriptions are not yet there to have a tangible impact on traditional business models.

“Subscription is still a relatively small business – you’re talking about businesses. I think the last announcement of Game Pass was 25 million subs. We’re not talking about huge broad-based business yet.”

He clarifies his position further: “In any case, no, I don’t believe the business is cannibalising our business.”

It’s perhaps worth pointing out that PS Plus makes Sony a lot of money and has always had more subscribers than Game Pass. Despite this, the numbers have fluctuated in recent years. The Japanese company’s latest reports show that subscriber numbers are down again. However, PS Plus, as a whole, is actually making more money.

In any case, Zelnick’s take on things is interesting. Giant publishers like Take-Two have long been building on similarly massive hits. These are usually delivered as full-price retail releases. From what the CEO says, that’s not going to change any time soon, despite the apparent adjustments in the gaming world.

Source: SeekingAlpha.com, GamesIndustry.biz