Take-Two CEO says Borderlands movie was "disappointing" but didn't hurt the franchise - even boosting game sales

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Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, acknowledged the failure of the Borderlands movie but emphasized its positive impact on game sales. In an interview with IGN ahead of the company's quarterly results announcement, he highlighted an unexpected effect:

“Of course, the film was disappointing. However, it actually boosted sales of the catalog. So, there was no harm done; on the contrary — it may have even helped a bit. This case reaffirms my belief: adapting a game for the big screen is an incredibly challenging task.”

Take-Two confirmed in its financial report that the release of Borderlands 4 is scheduled for the 2026 fiscal year (from April 2025 to March 2026), along with the game Mafia: The Old Country. Grand Theft Auto 6 is still planned for release in the fall of 2025, and Zelnick is confident about meeting that date. The company aims to release about 37 games by the end of the 2027 fiscal year.

Take-Two reported earnings of $1.47 billion. Digital sales accounted for 96% of the revenue. The share of digital versions of the company’s console games rose to 82%, compared to 75% last year. Grand Theft Auto 5 has reached 205 million copies sold, Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold 67 million copies, and NBA 2K25 has sold 4.5 million copies since its release on September 3.

Additionally, Take-Two announced the sale of its indie division, Private Division, to an undisclosed buyer following an extended period of staff reductions and studio closures.

Source: IGN