Zelnick: How Does A Subscription-Based GTA Sound?

[DoctorFinger]

What do you do when you have one of the biggest, most bankable properties in video gaming? Try to turn it into an even bigger, more bankable property, of course.

So speaketh Zelnick at a recent conference:The holy grail is taking a business, already a very large and successful business that's focused on packaged goods...and turning that into a subscription business or a semi subscription business where we have an ongoing relationship with consumers, giving them products that they wantTranslation: we saw the Blizzard folks swimming in a Money Bin filled with WoW money and said "Why not us?"

Ultimately this hinges on a simple question: what sort of subscriptions do they have in mind? A full blown GTA MMO? A subscription-based model for downloads? Something else? Take-Two for all their flaws knows the value of that property and they really haven't milked the cow dry the way some other publishers do their A+ titles. But make no mistake, this is one possible future for gaming.

Sources - CNet (http://news.cnet.com/8301-13846_3-10097135-62.html), 1UP (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3171358).

[KamaItachi]

All this announcement does is remind me how much I want APB.

[Variable Gear]

A GTA MMO would be as unfulfilling as the recent GTA games. So, no, I won't pay extra to experience disappointment.

[Iron Past]

I could see "semi subscription business" being translated as DLC, but who knows.

[KingGorilla]

Anyone who wants to Poo Poo the MMO concept, needs to grab the multiplayer mod for San Andreas.

[Talanvor]

I could see story extending DLC releases, but an MMO? Not so much. It's the story that puts GTA above others, say like Saints Row, at least for me anyway.

I wonder if they would make you call at least 5 people an hour to ask to go bowling or to the club.

[Dukefrukem]

it doesn't sound like something i'd pay for

[Widgetcraft]

I heard the multi sucked in GTA 4. I don't think it's logical to try to jump into MMOs without having first made a successful online multiplayer game on a smaller scale.

[Purple Santa]

Everyone still wants the cash of WoW. Not going to happen...well not with a GTA MMO anyway...

[Mike Kelehan]

All this announcement does is remind me how much I want APB.

Here here.

[LongStepMantis]

My first thought?

The community attracted to this would make every other on-line community, including LIVE, seem tame and well-mannered by comparison.

[Sl1pstream]

This sounds more like episodic content to me. GTA is a crime story, I don't see why this wouldn't work on the condition that they're doing something closer to Telltale's idea of episodic content than what Valve is doing.

[National Kato]

I heard the multi sucked in GTA 4.

I would disagree. I mean, it wasn't as polished as it probably could've been - but the modes were fun. I enjoyed how the GTA4 cars handled and never got tired of playing GTA Race mode, which combined a normal race with shenanigans galore.

[Raen]

My first thought?

The community attracted to this would make every other on-line community, including LIVE, seem tame and well-mannered by comparison.

You're right actually thinking on it now. The group of gamers willing to play for a GTA MMO has the potential to be really quite fucked the hell up. I wouldn't pay for a GTA MMO, but then again I wouldn't pay for any MMO really. They just don't appeal to me.

[TheEvilNarwhale]

All this announcement does is remind me how much I want APB.

So true. I can't wait.