Zelnick: Take-Two still believes its online shooter Project Ethos can be a “massive hit” despite high-profile failures
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has reaffirmed the company’s belief that its long-gestating online shooter Project Ethos can achieve “massive hit” status, despite the game’s recent reboot and the mounting challenges facing live-service shooters.
Speaking ahead of Take-Two’s full-year earnings announcement, Zelnick acknowledged the increasingly competitive landscape for online shooters, noting that even industry pioneer Bungie has struggled in this space. The statement comes as Project Ethos underwent significant changes following lukewarm reception to its open beta.
Crucially, Zelnick distinguished between product-specific and market-wide issues, attributing the changes to the game’s beta performance rather than broader industry conditions. This framing suggests Take-Two views the problems as correctable rather than systemic to the genre.
The company appears to be banking on Project Ethos as a future revenue driver. On the earnings front, Zelnick highlighted the continued strength of Take-Two’s existing portfolio, specifically praising Red Dead Redemption 2’s “astonishing” sales performance, which has reached 85 million units sold. This demonstrates the company’s capacity to maintain successful franchises while investing in new live-service ventures.
The confidence in Project Ethos reflects Take-Two’s broader strategy of developing online experiences to complement its traditional single-player offerings, even as the live-service market proves increasingly unforgiving to new entrants.