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Zelnick: Metacritic ratings vital, "good is the new bad"

Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has said Metacritic ratings, and the reviews they're based on, make a "real difference" to the game's success - or failure.

"Making good games just isn't good enough," Zelnick said. "I believe good is the new bad. ... Games need to be great."

"Unlike many other entertainment business - there are just a few - ratings by Metacritic and others' reviews really can influence the success of a newly-released title.

"In fact, if your ratings go below a certain level, it can really hurt your ability to sell the title, and above a certain level can make a real difference in your success."

Take Two clearly takes this seriously, and it shows in the company's recent christening as Metacritic's highest rated publisher.

"Our ability to have high scores over and over and over again is a huge competitive advantage, and that advantage drives sales, it reduces risk and creates profits," Zelnick said.

Zelnick's comments were part of a presentation at last week's Wedbush Morgan conference, as reported by Gamasutra.

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Brenna Hillier avatar

Brenna Hillier

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Based in Australia and having come from a lengthy career in the Aussie games media, Brenna worked as VG247's remote Deputy Editor for several years, covering news and events from the other side of the planet to the rest of the team. After leaving VG247, Brenna retired from games media and crossed over to development, working as a writer on several video games.

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