Take-Two CEO On Backward Compatibility: “Give Consumers What They Want”

In a recent discussion with GamesIndustry.biz, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick voiced his opinions on whether a feature like backward compatibility has the potential to harm software sales on future systems, stating that if the feature is possible, then it should be implemented.

This follows a recent report from VGC which claimed that some third-party publishers have expressed concerns about legacy support for Nintendo titles on the Switch 2 overshadowing new releases. It seems, however, that the Take-Two CEO disagrees.

According to Zelnick, hardware developers “can’t not deliver a feature you’re able to deliver so as to maximize sales”, claiming that doing so comes at a cost:

“I’m not sure,” he admits. “You need to give consumers what they want and optimize their experience, and you can’t not deliver a feature you’re able to deliver so as to maximize sales. That isn’t fulfilling your contract with consumers. You have to do the very best you can for them. I suppose it’s possible the lack of backward compatibility could enhance your revenue for a period of time, but at what cost?”

Of course, Take-Two does not work in the hardware market, and Zelnick admits that these are not the kind of decisions that he has to make. However, the CEO does believe that if a console is technically capable of offering a sought-after feature like backward compatibility, then it should do so:

We’re not a hardware manufacturer so we don’t get to make those decisions. But I think if you can be compatible technically, then you want to be. However, in certain instances if the leap forward is great enough, that’s not a possibility.

It’s likely that we are going to continue to hear conversations like this as the Switch 2 rumour mill continues to spin. With the sheer size of the Switch’s games library (and the number of users), backward compatibility feels like a no-brainer on a marketing front, but will Nintendo want to lean too heavily on the past if it is to ensure success for its future titles? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Do you think that backward compatibility is essential for Nintendo moving forward? Let us know in the comments.