Take-Two: Rockstar has finished developing GTA 6

Rockstar has finished making GTA 6, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said on the company's earnings call on 9 November. "Right now, Rockstar has completed the development of GTA VI," he told analysts. The game launches on 19 November on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and digital pre-load opened on 10 November.

Pre-orders were the other headline. In the results release Zelnick said they keep "reaching unprecedented levels", and on the call he said they are tracking far above Take-Two's initial expectations. CFO Lainie Goldstein called the level "extraordinary". As in August, nobody gave a number. Zelnick said the company avoids claiming success before it happens and that the numbers will speak for themselves soon enough.

The launch money has not arrived yet, so the quarter itself looks weak. For July to September, Net Bookings fell 18% to $1.60 billion, just under the $1.62 to $1.67 billion Take-Two had guided in August. GamesBeat reports that NBA 2K27 sold fewer copies than planned. Take-Two kept its full-year outlook at $8.0 to $8.2 billion and expects $3.35 to $3.5 billion for October to December, the quarter that contains the launch and most of the marketing spend. GTA V, for comparison, has now sold nearly 235 million copies.

For players, the call changes little. Zelnick described GTA 6 as available on two consoles at launch and gave no PC date. He said Rockstar will keep supporting GTA Online with new content and events. Asked about AI tools that could be used to copy the game, he said Take-Two is "utterly focused on enhancing our technical defenses". The first real sales figures will only come after 19 November: Take-Two declined to give guidance for its next fiscal year.