TL;DR: Take-Two’s long-term publishing deal refers broadly to “all Xbox devices,” adding evidence that Project Helix may encompass multiple hardware products rather than one console. The wording does not specify generations, so it could also cover Gen9 systems.
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GTA 6 publisher Take-Two has signed a new agreement that gives Take-Two the right to make and sell new “Xbox-compatible games on all Xbox devices,” further indicating that Project Helix will be a range of hardware. This also may indicate that Gen9 consoles could last a bit longer.
Microsoft is gearing up its next-gen hardware platform, which will apparently be an ecosystem of products and not just a singular console. Back in August, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma did mention that the team was hard at work on a “great next generation and a great family of devices for Helix.” Offering multiple systems is typical for Xbox; the past two console generations have had multiple iterations with varying degrees of power.
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Now thanks to a new SEC filing from Take-Two Interactive gamers have even more clues on what to expect from the next Xbox generation. Take-Two has signed a long-term contract to publish new games on Xbox hardware. Materially, the new contract is almost identical to the previous ‘Xbox Next Gen’ deal signed in 2020, with the exception that Xbox platforms aren’t named. Instead, Take-Two simply refers to the target hardware as “Xbox devices.”
- Read more: Project Helix may be a ‘family of devices’ that play PC and console games
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All of the other terms, including the parts about Xbox approving of concepts, are the same.
And Take-Two is still the agent in the accounting arrangement that it has with Xbox; storefronts like PlayStation and Xbox are the ones that deliver the digital product, so they are the principal in the exchange. This means that Take-Two gets a cut of every sale of their game–not a blanket 30% as is usually thought; top-tier publishers can negotiate specific rates–and both Xbox and PlayStation report their game software sales as gross revenue, which is inclusive of these fees.
How does Take-Two’s “all Xbox devices” agreement apply across the Project Helix hardware family?
Does the agreement’s wording include Gen9 Xbox consoles, and what could that mean for Take-Two game support?
What different devices has Microsoft discussed for Project Helix?
How long does Take-Two’s new Xbox publishing agreement run?
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Ultimately, this listing just helps support that Project Helix will be a range of hardware and not just one device. The language also does not delineate hardware generations, instead making a more broad target of “all Xbox devices,” which would technically include Gen9 hardware. Then again, Gen10 hasn’t exactly kicked off, and Take-Two is about to release GTA 6 on Gen9 hardware so…this is definitely covering bases on that front.
