Turtle Rock Studios’ Evolve is out this month but the developer has stirred up some controversy regarding its DLC content. Though the maps will be free to all players, certain characters – like the Behemoth monster – will be available through DLC only.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick addressed this controversy during the company’s earnings call for its financial report and stated that, “There was some controversy start-up by an online post.

“And I guess, controversy, generally speaking, is a good thing. People can argue about the business model. I think we’re delivering a fantastic title that’s well versed with consumers who will pay for it. And all signs are extraordinarily positive.”

Zelnick pointed to the buzz around Evolve, saying that it was the “only game in history” to win top honours at E3 and GamesCom last year.

“Never like to claim success before it’s occurred. This looks to be a good news event. I’m going to leave it at that. Hopefully, in our next call, we’ll have great news to report.”

Evolve is out on February 10th for PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Microsoft’s Xbox One has had a pretty eventful week. Along with 343 Industries revealing Halo 5: Guardians for release in 2015 and “special plans” for the franchise in 2014, the Xbox One was also announced to be de-coupled from Kinect from June 9th onwards. The standalone console will retail for $399, effectively putting it in direct competition with Sony’s PlayStation 4.

While some reactions have been mixed, Take Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick, who’s company publishes Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto 5, is pleased with the price cut. Speaking to Games Industry International, Zelnick stated that, “Anything that increases the installed base is a good thing for Take-Two and other publishers. We’re happy with the way Xbox One has performed. The next generation launch of both platforms has been successful from our point of view.”

It will be interesting to see how the price cut effects sales numbers, especially since the Xbox One sold a surprisingly low 114,000 units in the United States for April 2014 according to the NPD. Stay tuned for more details.

Following the release of Take Two Interactive’s fourth quarter and fiscal year financials, CEO Strauss Zelnick spoke about purchasing additional studios to add to its group.

Speaking to Games Industry International, Zelnick talked about the revenue the company had earned and what it could be used for. “We have the opportunity to support organic growth with our balance sheet. We also have the ability to do inorganic growth. And we have the opportunity to return money to our shareholders.”

That “inorganic” growth involves picking up existing game studios. While Zelnick and Take Two have built up the internal studios over time, it’s not against purchasing a studio that is in line with their approach. “If there’s an opportunity to grow inorganically with a company that’s consistent with our disciplined approach, then we would absolutely do so. There’s no question this company is in growth mode.”

As for digital distribution – with digital revenue increasing by 65 percent over the previous year for $435.1 million – Zelnick is excited for the same but will continue to focus on traditional retail sales.

“We’re very excited about what digital distribution allows us to do. Among other things, it has allowed us to build this significant recurring revenue model. But typical retail is still (up to) 80 percent of the market. Our view is bring consumers the best products on whatever devices they have and otherwise be flexible about the channels used to get it to them.”

Take Two Interactive recently announced shipment figures for its biggest releases of the past year, with Grand Theft Auto 5 shipping 33 million units. Stay tuned for more information.

According to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, the company is excited to launch Grand Theft Auto V later this year and that they’re getting ready to transition to new-generation of consoles as the PlayStation 4 and the unannounced Xbox get ready to launch this Holiday season. This is what he had to say regarding Take-Two’s financial success, future franchises and the launch of Grand Theft Auto 5:

“Our industry appears poised to enter an exciting growth period driven by the upcoming launches of the next-generation consoles, as well as the increasing popularity of emerging mobile and online platforms,” said Zelnick during the financial call.

“Fiscal 2014 promises to be one of our best years ever, highlighted by the upcoming launch of Grand Theft Auto V in September.”

He continued, “We also have a extraordinary pipeline of titles in development for next-generation platforms, including groundbreaking new intellectual property and releases from our proven franchises.”

“Take-Two delivered strong revenue growth and solid non-GAAP earnings for fiscal year 2013, driven by robust demand for our groundbreaking new releases, iconic catalog titles and expanding portfolio of digitally delivered offerings,” said Zelnick in the earnings report.

“Looking ahead, we have an extensive pipeline of next-generation and emerging platform titles in development, including both new intellectual property and releases from our proven franchises. As a result, our current outlook is to be profitable on a non-GAAP basis in fiscal 2015 and for the foreseeable future,” he added.

Grand Theft Auto V will be launching later this year on September 17th for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 with a follow-up of a rumored PC version few months later. Are you excited for Grand Theft Auto V? Let us know in the comments below and check back on GamingBolt for our review and future updates.

Take-Two Interactive has had a very poor quarter where they have posted a $110.8 million loss, and this was due to poor performance of their two main titles they released last quarter – Max Payne 3 and Spec Ops: The Line.

Their CEO Strauss Zelnick was displeased with the results and said that he takes responsibility for it and this loss will be taken by the firm on the chin.

 Net revenue was $226.1 million, and especially when compared to the same period last year they are down by at least $100 million in revenue considering they had posted $334.4 million. They had recorded a $8.6 million loss last quarter which was increased to $110.8 this quarter.

So their saviour GTA 5, which analysts have predicted to sell 20 million copies, bringing $1 billion in revenue doesn’t have a release date yet, but the game is in development.

“We just haven’t talked about a release date. So I can’t discuss about the existence of a release date we haven’t announced,” Zelnick said when asked by investors.

Max Payne 3 sold 3 million units worldwide and has under performed massively according to Take-Two.

Take-Two’s CEO Strauss Zelnick has mentioned that he is skeptical of Wii U’s chances and so far Take-Two hasn’t announced any games for the platform. He is looking forward to next-gen and he feels it’s the perfect time to launch a new IP.

“Some of our competitors have had this trajectory where they extract a lot of value and the IP goes away. We’re trying really hard to build permanent IP. And if you have to rest the title for a few years, over time you’ll extract more value,” Zelnick said.

“We’re not trying to create something good and market the hell out of it. We’re trying to delight customers with something great – and market hell out of it.”

It remains to be seen how Nintendo gets third-party support for the system, but for now, major publishers haven’t announced a lot for it.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Gamasutra.