GTA 6 maker Rockstar Games’ parent company, Take-Two Interactive’s CEO Strauss Zelnick, is both ‘excited’ and ‘terrified’ about the launch of the highly anticipated title. Speaking ahead of the release of Grand Theft Auto VI, Zelnick said the scale of expectations surrounding the game makes it a high-pressure moment for the company. In a recent interview with Bloomberg from the industry’s Interactive Innovation Conference in Las Vegas, Zelnick said, “I think here our goal is to deliver to consumers something that’s never been experienced before. Being on the sidelines but pretty close to the front of the sidelines is very, very exciting. And terrifying. Because the expectations are so high.”The upcoming title follows the success of Grand Theft Auto V, which has sold more than 225 million copies. The new game, set in a fictional version of Miami, has been in development for over eight years with a large team working on it.Zelnick said the company’s goal is to deliver a new kind of experience. Meanwhile, analysts also expect strong initial demand, with projections suggesting tens of millions of units could be sold in the early months. However, the scale of investment means expectations are also higher than typical releases.
What Take-Two CEO said about GTA 6’s PC release, rising game development costs and more
Zelnick hinted that the game will initially launch on consoles, with a PC version expected later. Zelnick said this follows Rockstar’s usual approach of prioritizing its core audience.“Rockstar always starts on console because I think with regard to a release like that, you’re judged by serving the core. Like, really serving the core consumer. If your core consumer isn’t there, if they’re not served first and best, you kind of don’t hit your other consumers,” he explained. Zelnick also clarified that the decision is not linked to any arrangement with Sony.Apart from this, Zelnick even acknowledged that development costs for large titles continue to increase. “Development costs have gone up and up. And we really do aim to deliver the highest quality entertainment on Earth. And that is costly. And AI influence is not withstanding. We haven’t seen those costs decline yet. Maybe we will. Maybe we won’t,” he noted.He added that Take-Two’s approach focuses on large-scale releases. “That’s a high-stakes game for big boys only, and I’m cool with it,” he said.While early interest in the game has been visible through high engagement with trailers, Zelnick said the company is not assuming outcomes in advance.“We never claim success before it occurs,” he said, adding that the focus remains on supporting development teams with resources to meet expectations.The launch of GTA 6 is expected to be a key moment for Take-Two, as it balances high production costs with anticipated demand across platforms.
