In response to the recent situation regarding GTA 5 and its ban in two Australian retailers, Karl Slatoff – president of Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of GTA 5 developer Rockstar Games – voiced his personal thoughts on the debacle.
At the BMO Capital Markets Technology and Digital Media Conference held today, December 9th, Slatoff stated that Target and K-Mart Australia’s decision to ban GTA 5 from their stores ultimately won’t impact Take-Two’s financial performance in any way whatsoever.
“Obviously, the Australia situation is disappointing on many levels. It’s not impactful to our business, frankly. Australia is relatively small. Two retailers are relatively small in the context of Australia. There’s other places for folks to buy Grand Theft Auto in Australia.”
However, he has bigger issues with the ban – stemming from his belief that it undermines freedom of expression.
Read more on what Slatoff had to say about GTA 5‘s Australian ban after the break.
Take-Two Interactive’s President on GTA 5 Ban
“It’s one thing for someone to not want to buy a piece of content, which is completely understandable, and that’s really the solution. If you don’t like it and it’s offensive to you, then you don’t buy it.
But for a person or a group of people to try to make that decision for millions of people…We have 34 million people who bought Grand Theft Auto, and if these folks had their way, none of those people would be able to buy Grand Theft Auto. And that really just flies in the face of everything that free society is based on. It’s the freedom of expression, and to try to squelch that is a dangerous and slippery slope to go down.
So it’s really more disappointing for us in that regard than it is in the context of our business. Our business is going to be completely unaffected by this; it doesn’t make a difference to us. At the end of the day though, it’s not something you want because it’s a poor leadership decision.”
Slatoff went on to say that while he understands that some people may have issues with GTA 5‘s often controversial content, nobody is forcing them to buy the game.
In the end, on an individual level, it’s up to the customer to decide whether or not a video game’s content is offensive. It’s not the duty of a handful of activists to dictate whether the gaming community can purchase a game or not. To do so is, as Slatoff says, to undercut what free society has been built on – the freedom of expression.
What are your thoughts on what Karl Slatoff had to say about the circumstances surrounding GTA 5 and its ban in 2 Australian retailers? Do you believe that banning a game such as Grand Theft Auto V because some people find it offensive undermines freedom of expression? Why or why not?
Let us know in the comments section below! As always, stay tuned to GamerHeadlines.com for the latest in video game and technology news.