

Next-gen games could be easier to develop than present - Take-Two

New tech could actually decrease development costs, suggests CEO

Gamers will be expecting another significant jump in visuals and technology as next generation gaming slides into view, but the arrival of new more powerful consoles won't necessarily mean a leap in costs for developers.


So said Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick during an earnings call today, when questioned on the likelihood of increased costs associated with next-gen development.

"We don't have a ramp up of operating expenses for next generation," said Zelnick.

Despite the jump in technological prowess expected for Sony and Microsoft's next-gen consoles, Zelnick suggests that development costs may actually be lower than the present. "Do we believe that titles will be a whole lot more expensive to make for next-gen? The answer is we do not," he said, decisively.

"In many instances," Zelnick added, "We believe that it may be somewhat easier to make titles for next-gen depending on how the technology comes together."

Sony and Microsoft are expected to begin pulling back the veil on their next consoles in 2013, with the release of at least one of the two high-end machines expected by the end of 2014.

EA Labels president Frank Gibeau suggested in September that Xbox 720 and PS4 are due to launch "in about a year's time". More recently, he labelled next gen consoles the company's currently making games for "spectacular".