Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick believes game streaming could reach commercial scale within three years, with low-latency streaming bringing games to devices that traditionally haven’t been considered gaming machines.
Zelnick made the prediction during Take-Two’s Q1 fiscal 2027 earnings call on August 7, 2026, while discussing rising prices for consoles and PC components. He said he expects the industry to be in what he called “commercial streaming mode” within three years. Zelnick also said streaming could increase Take-Two’s effective install base by as much as 10x by reaching people beyond the traditional market for dedicated gaming devices. He stressed that a tenfold increase in potential audience wouldn’t mean a tenfold increase in revenue.
Commercial Streaming Means Low Latency for Zelnick
Zelnick defined commercial streaming as low latency and an experience that works well for consumers. He believes the industry is close to reaching that point and expects commercial streaming within the next three years.
Streaming could also broaden the types of devices capable of accessing Take-Two games. Zelnick said devices that weren’t previously used for gaming could become ways to play through streaming.
Streaming Could Expand Take-Two’s Effective Install Base
The audience opportunity is a key part of Zelnick’s argument. He estimated that successful streaming could increase Take-Two’s effective install base by around 10x.
That figure doesn’t represent current users, subscribers or a revenue forecast. It describes the potential reach Take-Two could gain if more people can access its games without buying a console or gaming PC.
Zelnick also said reaching ten times as many potential customers wouldn’t produce ten times the revenue because the company’s most avid consumers already have access to dedicated gaming devices. He sees additional opportunity in games with broad appeal outside core markets.
Take-Two’s Prediction Fits a Wider Cloud Gaming Shift
We’ve been following this broader change as cloud gaming expands onto devices people already own, particularly Smart TVs and other connected screens. The opportunity isn’t necessarily to replace consoles or gaming PCs. It’s to make games available in more places without requiring another dedicated gaming device.
Zelnick’s comments put a specific timeframe on that transition from Take-Two’s perspective. A three-year prediction doesn’t guarantee that every publisher or service will reach the same point at the same time, but Take-Two clearly believes commercially viable game streaming is getting much closer.
Zelnick’s comments establish that Take-Two sees streaming as a way to substantially expand who can access its games, and he believes that opportunity could become commercially significant within the next three years.
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