Take Two Interactive, parent company of 2K Games and Rockstar, has claimed that the industry is not yet ready to make the leap to virtual reality. After the announcement that GTA V will offer a first-person mode, many had been under illusions about a possible support for Oculus Rift, but it does not seem that this will be the case, at least not at the moment.
Strauss Zelnkick, CEO of Take Two, says that the industry is not ready yet, since commercial HMDs are not on the street and we have to see what reception they have. They are aware that people want to play their games for long periods of time and they don’t want them to suffer from dizziness or anything like that. They are not clear how long people could endure using an HMD, but they say they are willing to find out and, if that is what the public asks, they will be the first to provide it.
However, this contrasts with what he says below, showing a rather more conservative attitude. In his opinion, if the time comes to make the leap to virtual reality, he does not think that it will be the big companies that will lead that transition, especially those for which console releases are their big priority. Zelnick admits that he prefers to wait and see how other companies do before taking the leap themselves. And the following sentence makes it very clear how the mentality of the big publishers in the video game world works: “We see no reason to innovate in terms of business model. We prefer to be a fast follower. No one can create our intellectual property, only us. I am glad to see how others are investing large sums in R&D.”
It can be said louder, but not clearer. It seems that to play GTA V in virtual reality we will depend on third-party programs. At least, the first-person mode will help make this possible.
