Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has been on the enterprise interview circuit since final week’s monetary outcomes, reassuring all these skittish stockholders after the corporate introduced “a narrowing of Rockstar Video games’ beforehand established window of Calendar 2025 to Fall of Calendar 2025 for Grand Theft Auto 6.”
That wasn’t a delay: the sport had beforehand been introduced just for “calendar 2025”, and I do not suppose even probably the most Rockstar-pilled conspiracist thought that meant January. However it did however affirm GTA 6 could be coming later reasonably than sooner: and let’s not overlook, that is a console launch date solely. Even 2026 for PC appears optimistic at this level.
So Strauss Zelnick is on the market calming some nerves. Throughout an interview with CNBC (noticed by VGC) Zelnick was requested in regards to the choices round launch schedules, and what feeds into realizing when a recreation is prepared.
“There are components that you could truly measure,” says Zelnick. “For instance the variety of bugs in a title, and each one in all us will be sure that we now have as few bugs as doable earlier than we launch.”
“Nevertheless, within the case of a unprecedented title, for which there are extraordinary expectations, it’s not likely about bugs, it’s about creating an expertise that nobody’s seen earlier than, and Rockstar Video games seeks perfection in what they do,” says Strauss, little doubt stroking a big gold-laden goose in his creativeness. “Perfection is certainly laborious to measure, it truly is extra subjective than goal.”
It is a horn that Zelnick’s had a honk on earlier than, saying earlier this yr that they “are in search of perfection” with GTA 6. However such ethereal discuss is for the birds when there’s cash like this on the desk: GTA 5 has now bought per Zelnick “roughly” 200 million copies. Fall 2025 could be GTA 6’s new goal, however Rockstar has appreciable type with asserting launch dates after which delaying. It is laborious to criticise this when the video games end up like they do, however this title is however the topic of eye-watering ranges of funding, is arriving nicely over a decade after its predecessor, and goes to be presumably the most important leisure launch the world has seen up to now. So the CNBC hosts requested how assured Zelnick was within the recreation’s new launch window.
“Properly, there’s slippage within the trade and we’re not immune from that, nonetheless we narrowed the timing as a result of we’re extremely assured in that timing,” stated Zelnick.
Lastly as pertains to GTA 6, Zelnick was requested about what will likely be new and completely different about this entry. Zelnick has this explicit reply oven-ready.
“Properly look, the trailer’s on the market, and the trailer broke the web… so I like to recommend in case you have a query go watch the trailer once more, it is superior,” says Zelnick. “It truly does let you know what’s new and completely different.”
There’s heaps to select of the trailer, for certain, and some enjoyable tinfoil hat theories (and a few debunkings). As for Zelnick’s declare it broke the web, nicely, it undoubtedly broke some YouTube information, however sadly even Rockstar can not compete with the Kpop titans BTS.
So hopefully you at the moment are extremely assured in Zelnick being “extremely assured” about Grand Theft Auto 6 hitting the brand new date. There’s a honest quantity identified in regards to the recreation already, a few of which is right down to a significant leak earlier than the official announcement, however in fact one 99% certainty for PC house owners: We’re not going to be partying with the console crowd, and who is aware of what sort of rig goes to be wanted to get the most effective out of this.