GTA, Borderlands, and Other Take-Two Games Could Be Getting Shorter

[Tsing]

Triple-A games such as Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, and Borderlands take many years to develop. While the average fan is willing to put up with the wait between releases (the complexity of open worlds obviously requires tremendous effort to bring to life), Take-Two chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick suggests that could be changing.

Zelnick acknowledged the gaps between major releases while speaking with GameIndustry.biz and admitted that he thought eight years (e.g., the period between RDR and RDR 2) was too long. A possible solution would be smaller releases fleshed out with additional DLC down the line.

"It's possible that games may be a bit shorter than they were in certain instances," Zelnick says. "It's possible that the ability to deliver content on an ongoing basis for a long time after an initial release of a hit would mean that perhaps that initial release wouldn't be as long in terms of number of hours of gameplay as previously had been demanded in a world where that was all you were getting."

 

[SeymourGore]

I was always surprised there wasn't more DLC content for GTA V (IV had a couple of DLC episodes released, afterall). You'd think they'd continue that strategy to help shorten the wait between major franchise releases.

 

[Brian_B]

Is this all that much different than Episodic release model?

Also, I'm sure the shorter games will cost just as much as the longer ones... with just more DLC inbetween.

Not to be all Debbie Downer here, but I don't think the length of time between releases is entirely due to just content generation.

 

[raz-0]

As I get older and have more and more responsibilities, I appreciate shorter games, but...

Well... if you want to make a shorter game, you have to make a shorter game. Just slicing up something intended to be longer works like garbage most of the time. You have to both write to the shorter (and perhaps multiple episode) format, and possibly alter game-play mechanics.

You know, kind of like the way it used to be with a valid standalone game and expansion packs. Some how they made what would be the equivalent of $30 DLC palatable.

 

[Grimlakin]

You mean wait. They want to monetize their games even more for the same amount of content. So that 50 errr 60 errr 70 dollar full release game that took 8 years will now be a 50, 60, or 70 dollar game with less content then I can be afforded the luxury of buying DLC packs at 20-40 bucks a shot to expand the content in the game that would have been there if I wasn't saying GIMMIE NOW? Right? I hope for an option to get them all in 8 instead of piecemail and that the full set is cheaper. Oh yea... just wait for the steam sale.