2K Games parent company Take-Two Interactive made a bundle on microtransactions last year, accounting for over half of its total revenue.
Take-Two Interactive, the parent company that owns 2K Games, Rockstar, and Private Division, recently announced their financials for 2019 (or fiscal year 2020, which ended on March 31, 2020). You don’t have to look too far in those statements to find a glowing number that represents Take-Two’s bottom line.
Fourth-quarter revenue jumped 41% up to $760.5 million compared to the same time last year. Recurrent spending (also known as microtransactions) accounted for the bulk of that revenue, which was $410.7 million. That’s up 40% from the year before and makes Take-Two one of the most microtransactiest companies in gaming.
But it wasn’t just microtransactions that Take-Two blames for their success in 2020–It was also the coronavirus.
“With more people staying at home, we have experienced, and are continuing to experience, heightened levels of engagement and net bookings growth-to-date,” Take-Two said of COVID-19. They don’t expect this to last forever, though, and are noting that there are certain risk factors related to the outbreak with respect to future game development.
On the plus side, Take-Two is donating 5% of their net bookings (after platform fees) from Grand Theft Auto Online, Red Dead Online, NBA 2K20, The Outer Worlds, and more to a variety of COVID-19 charities and local businesses.
Source: Take-Two Interactive
