GTA 6 pre-orders outpace forecasts as launch nears

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick stated on Monday that pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI are running far in excess of the company's projections. The role-playing game is scheduled to launch on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S and X consoles. The standard edition will cost $79.99, while the ultimate version is priced at $99.99.

Zelnick told Variety that the high demand is a positive indicator, though he cautioned that the company does not claim success before the product is widely available. He noted that the results align with earlier disclosures from June, when pre-orders began and reached unprecedented levels. The executive promised that more specific data on post-launch performance would be provided once the title hits the market.

Financial results for the July to September quarter showed game revenue of $1.38 billion. Advertising sales contributed $121 million to the total. The company reported a net loss of $54 million for the period, with a loss per share of 29 cents. These figures contrasted with analyst consensus from LSEG, which forecast a loss of 86 cents per share on revenue of $1.66 billion.

The shortfall in earnings was partially driven by weaker sales for the NBA 2K franchise than anticipated. Take-Two reported net bookings of $1.6 billion for the quarter.

In other news, the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists released a statement on Monday supporting Rockstar Games employees who have decided to unionize. Zelnick declined to offer specific comments on the labor movement during his interview.

Regarding future releases, Zelnick indicated that details about potential ports to PC or Nintendo Switch 2, as well as physical disc availability, remain under the control of Rockstar Games. He stated that such information typically originates from the specific studio labels.