Take-Two CEO Explains How Disappointing Games like Battleborn & Evolve Don't Represent 2K's Quality

Like all publishers, 2K Games releases some great games, and some that aren't as successful, like the recent Battleborn and Evolve. During the MKM Partners Entertainment, Leisure and Internet Conference, Take-Two Interactive Software Chief Executive Officer Strauss Zelnick explained how they aren't representative of the overall quality of the label.

[moegooner88]

Battleborn may have done quite bad sales wise, but game is rather fun. Not fair to the devs behind it to dismiss it like this

[Hoffmann]

True. After Gearbox and 2k made many millions with the Borderlands series its an ass move to talk like that about Battleborn which is no Overwatch but not bad at all.

Its just a game almost nobody cared about.

[pompombrum]

Seems like the Take Two CEO has developed a chip on his shoulder after GTA 5's success, who throws their own developers under a bus like that when the games they made were far from bad? It's like he expects every game they make to receive 8-9/10 or something silly. Evolve was a great concept and tried to do something different, sort of the same with Battleborn too it's just Blizzard took the exact same concept and rolled with it in a different far more enjoyable way.

[princejb134]

Overwatch and battleborn are to different type of games. I don't get why people keep comparing them

[pompombrum]

^^^ They are both based on the same concept though, merging elements from MOBAs and FPS games, it's just that Battleborn was leaning more towards the MOBA genre while Overwatch is more of an FPS game, or at least that's how I understand it. The problem lays in that Battleborn never managed to shake the comparisons and also I just think Overwatch ultimately done a better job in creating a fun game that successfully merges elements from both genres.

[princejb134]

@aibteeze

They are not both based on the same concept. One is a moba the other is a fps

[C-H-E-F]

Their screw up was the fact that overwatch was just a much better battleborn than battleborn lOl

[Dirtnapstor]

The game is fun indeed. The problem is that there are established games out there that have become a staple to the gaming community. That's not bad in it of itself, however it makes it really hard for newer IPs to enter the arena and complete successfully as wanted.

[Christopher]

The problem with Battleborn isn't its gameplay, it's their money grabbing microtransaction concepts, locking characters behind lengthy activity walls, and the always online model.

[Grap]

I am more worry of mafia 3 than these 2 games

[gums007]

So in other words Take Two is saying that Randy Pitchford really sucks which i agree. (And seriously how has borderlands 3 not been made yet) WTF!!!!!

[Hoffmann]

Nah, actually the guy said nothing about Randy Pitchford there, he talked about the quality of games like Battleborn and Evolve in his opinion

[Darkfist_Flames]

then its time for you to start making borderlands 3.

[Hoffmann]

Not really. Borderlands is still Gearbox IP not 2k's

[Notellin]

Yeah it's definitely time. Not very many developers survive a flopped game in this day and age.

I would hope it's their next game because I'd hate for them to close down. I suppose if anyone is equipped to survive a flopped game it's Gearbox though.

[Palitera]

Yeah, Gearbox is a one hit wonder. They can't do anything else good, so why no BL3 already?

[Yohshida]

Battleborn is a great game that came out on the wrong time. They should have given it more time and release it early next year, when all the overwatch hype died down a little and not many new games are coming out.

[BlackDoomAx]

Take me in your maketing department. I'll make a better job that you have done without the need to blame the game .

[Activemessiah]

Bad sales doesnt mean bad quality...

[Razuel]

I'd say that they are representative, just not polished.

[mezati99]

yeah but where the f*** is borderlands 3?

[1nsomniac]

One thing you can say it proves is that Take-Two are tremendously good at making bad decisions.

It's not the game development that's bad it's the management decisions. If you join up with a developer like Gearbox then you should expect to get poor sales & reviews. If like Evolve you take more time planning out the season pass than the base game. Then again expect poor reviews & sales.

In a time where governments & the media have been stirring racial hate for years so that the sheep will pick it up & run with it. Then release a game about for the most part centralised around the stupidity of racism (Mafia 3) could of potentially been their saving grace of decision making but needless to say the sheep are to far gone.

The silly false migrant stats & tv programs on how people on benefits are so much richer than you are. That have saturated the media over the last 4-5 years have completely brainwashed the less educated unfortunately. So again unfortunately another bad decision.

[MilkMan]

Have zero ideas why devs are trashing their own game. Battleborn is a solid, fun game. I consider what happened to Battleborn the equivalent of this year's presidential elections. It was a major upset. Here was a chance for two IP's Battleborn and Overwatch to make a splash on the scene. However, the more liked company won AND the easiest to understand won.
This is a bad message gamers are sending to the industry. We ask for variety; we want new games...then we don't support them. Look at Titanfall 2.
Anyway, those of us that purchased and played Battleborn know the game is pretty awesome and adds value for dollar. For the devs to trash, it is a head scratching moment.

[kaizokuspy]

As someone who loves overwatch and played both. What killed battleborn to me, was that it wasn't easy to figure out.

[cyber_daemonx]

Battleborn isn't a bad game per se, it was steamrollered by Overwatch unfortunately.

[XBManiac]

Trying to sell for 65€ a game that seemed to be made for Free2Play... Only Blizzard can do that today. The same goes for Battleborn and Evolve.

[mgszelda1]

Bad Karma for colonial marines