Gaming communities around the world have been on tenterhooks, awaiting any news about the much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6. Finally, Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Take-Two Interactive—Rockstar Games’ parent company—shed some light on the matter in a recent CNBC interview.
This marks the first occasion Zelnick has openly linked GTA 6 to a specific fiscal year. “The future looks exceptionally bright for Take-Two, with hopes to generate approximately $8 billion in fiscal 2025,” he said. Observers believe his comments were a subtle confirmation that GTA 6 would likely be released between April 2024 and March 2025. These speculations align with previous reports by known gaming journalist Jason Schreier, thereby adding more weight to this timeframe.
Moreover, Take-Two isn’t banking solely on GTA 6 for future profits. “Titles are coming from all labels,” said Zelnick, signalling that the parent company of Rockstar Games has a robust portfolio of upcoming titles from various subsidiaries. These include highly anticipated games such as Judas, which received an official trailer at The Game Awards last year, along with the next BioShock instalment and annual releases like WWE 2K and NBA 2K. With such a wide array of profitable franchises, it’s not surprising that Take-Two expects its net bookings to reach a record high within the next two years.
But what truly has gamers and investors riveted is GTA 6 itself. The title reportedly has a production cost exceeding a billion dollars. However, given the franchise’s history, it’s expected to recoup this massive investment within days of its launch. Zelnick remained cautious but optimistic, stating that his company has a “very robust pipeline of titles” planned, clearly insinuating that GTA 6 is the linchpin for achieving the lofty $8 billion revenue goal for fiscal 2025.
While these revelations have set expectations soaring, the final word on the release date still rests with Rockstar Games. Nonetheless, Zelnick’s interview has provided the clearest indication yet of when we might be steering our virtual cars through the new world that GTA 6 promises to offer.
Until then, gamers worldwide will have to be content with piecing together these tantalizing hints and await official confirmation from Rockstar.