Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick yesterday talked at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference about how the company will face the imminent threat of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus). He suggest that a remote work policy might prove beneficial and will make believers out of some remote work skeptics in the game industry.
“I actually think one of the things that might come out of this, if it’s as widespread as I think it will be, one unexpected consequence is a lot of us who are skeptical about remote work are gonna be less skeptical about it,” Zelnick said. “I’m one of them, by the way; I’m not a big believer in remote work. But I think I may be surprised.”
Bungie has also come to the same conclusion, as the developer has announced the implementation of a Remote Work Infrastructure to prevent further contamination and guarantee the safety of employees.
Take-Two CEO doesn’t sound too convinced about the idea, but counts with technology to make sure employees are being as productive as usual.
“They’re gonna have to find a way to be just as productive at home,” said Strauss Zelnick. “We have access to technology.”
Strauss Zelnick predicts that COVID-19 might inevitably change the gaming industry, he predicts that “a significant change, maybe a long-lasting change, in business travel”.
During the talk, Zelnick expresses his worries about Coronavirus, he expects the virus to extend around the world as it’s common with the flu. But he points at how the media presents the virus, he suggest that maybe the media it’s overreacting.
“I think it’s terribly unfortunate … that the press is seemingly not aware that we have currently, right now, in America, 25 million cases of the flu. And in any given flu season in America, somewhere between 30 and 60,000 people typically pass away from the flu,” he said. “That seems to be lost in the shuffle, and [the coronavirus] is the flu virus.”
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