For a few seconds, Strauss Zelnick just looked at the reporter and didn’t speak. That pause has turned into one of the most widely shared gaming clips of the week.
The Take-Two Interactive CEO was speaking on stage at the WSJ Tech: California event on Nov. 4, where the conversation covered the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI and the company’s financial outlook. Wall Street Journal reporter Jessica Toonkel then put a question to him that drew a clear reaction.
“Is there a concern that this is your big hit and that you don’t have enough other hits in your catalog?” Toonkel said.
A facial expression turned meme
Toonkel had set up the question by pointing to Take-Two’s share price, which had fallen well below its earlier highs, so there was financial context behind it. Even so, Zelnick looked baffled right away, and that expression has already become a meme.
After a moment, he replied with figures. Zelnick said Take-Two has 15 franchises that have each sold at least five million units on a single release. He described the company’s portfolio as one of the strongest in the industry, backed by very large IPs.
“My answer is… look at the facts,” Zelnick said.
Zelnick’s list of franchises
He named them one by one: Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, NBA 2K, WWE 2K, BioShock, Borderlands and Civilization. He brought up the company’s mobile games business too.
Most of that weight sits with the two largest series. According to Take-Two’s financial figures, GTA 5 has sold more than 230 million copies and Red Dead Redemption 2 more than 87 million.
The reaction online
On X, the clip took off quickly, and a post from Project Vice (@project_vice) drew millions of views. Many players made fun of the question, arguing there was no reason to doubt a company that owns some of the best-selling games of all time.
“His reaction said it all lmfao,” one reply to the Project Vice post read.
The clip as it spread leaves something out. Toonkel never claimed Take-Two lacks successful games. She was asking how heavily the company relies on GTA 6 for its finances, and whether its other series can produce anything near those results. When a company’s stock has dropped from its highs, that is a routine thing to ask its CEO.
Zelnick’s blank look went viral across gaming social media anyway. GTA 6 is due out Nov. 19, two weeks after that moment on stage.