Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick approved a $50 million art style change for Borderlands just two months before its original release. The decision delayed the game by a year. Zelnick believes the change was essential for the game's success.
A risky decision two months before launch
The original art style resembled other mid-2000s shooters like Gears of War and Halo. The division head told Zelnick the game was not good enough and the art style was not differentiated. Zelnick agreed to remake the game despite the high cost and limited company capital at the time.
Zelnick said the decision was nonobvious and that no one else in the business would have done it. He noted that other executives would have released the finished game and moved on rather than spending $50 million on a new art style with no guarantee of success.
Zelnick explained that he hired creative people and told them to pursue their passions. When they came with their assessment and asked for support, he said yes. He concluded that without the art style change, Borderlands would not have been a hit.
Source: Take, PCGAMESN
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