With 10 days to go until GTA 6 launches, Strauss Zelnick tells me he feels “optimistic.” It could be the euphemism of the century. Reporting second-quarter fiscal 2027 results tonight, Take-Two said pre-orders for Rockstar’s next game are “well above” the company’s initial expectations. “We know the numbers will speak for themselves very soon,” Rockstar’s parent company added. Or, as Zelnick told me during a phone interview, “I’m looking forward to the release.” GTA 6 is expected to be the biggest entertainment release of all time, surpassing any previous film or video game in terms of sales and money made. There are concerns that it will not only block the PlayStation Store, but congest the internet, given that millions of people around the world are expected to download the massive 212GB that makes up Rockstar’s surefire hit. GTA 6 Launch Screenshots Still, GTA 6, like all video games these days, is beset by threats from all sides. The recent explosion of AI-powered game clones and PS5 jailbreaks has increased the chances of GTA 6 appearing on PC before Rockstar has had a chance to officially release it. But what can Take-Two do about it? Meanwhile, all eyes are on Rockstar to see what happens after GTA 6 comes out, after its developers recently insisted that their next game won’t take another eight years to make. Yes, it really has been eight years since Red Dead Redemption 2 came out. In the interview below, we touch on all of these topics and more, joke about another potential GTA 6 delay, and learn that GTA 6 is so popular that it might even have caused sales of Take-Two’s own NBA 2K27 to fall short of expectations. IGN: Finally, after a decade of development, delays, ups and downs, GTA 6 is coming out. I wonder, Strauss, how do you feel now? Strauss Zelnick: Optimist. I’m looking forward to the release. IGN: Normally I would ask you if there is a risk of GTA 6 being delayed. I have had conversations with you in the past and I assume you can be fairly confident that this time you will not be delayed again. Strauss Zelnick: It’s not going to be delayed again. IGN: There’s a line in the finances that Rockstar will continue to support GTA Online with new content and ongoing events for its vast community. I’m just curious what impact you predict GTA 6 will have on GTA Online when the game comes out. What are your expectations for GTA Online starting next week? Strauss Zelnick: We plan to continue supporting GTA Online and it has been a great success. It has been very resistant. It’s continued to grow over the years, so we feel pretty good about it. IGN: There’s another line about pre-orders for GTA 6 that far exceed your expectations, and you say the numbers will speak for themselves very soon. Do you do any preparations to try to ensure a smooth launch for your customers? Is GTA 6 so big that it could crash the Internet? Do you do anything about it to try to avoid any problems there? Strauss Zelnick: We are very focused on that and intend to do the best we can to have a seamless delivery experience for all our customers. Hannah Sage (executive vice president, chief financial officer and accounting officer): And preloading begins tomorrow in an effort to minimize that impact. IGN: There was a very interesting recent interview of Rockstar senior developers on Bloomberg. They said that the foundation was laid for faster development after GTA 6. I was wondering what your expectations are now with Rockstar. Do you think Rockstar will be able to release more games faster than before? Will you continue to treat Rockstar like you have with GTA 6, with the budget and giving them the time to create the game like this? What is your opinion? Strauss Zelnick: I will certainly continue to support all of our record labels in their quest to create the best entertainment experiences in the world. And each of our three labels has its own customized strategy and approach and I support that. We believe that the nature and speed of content we will see from our iconic franchises, including GTA, will look dramatically different over the next decade. And that’s really being driven by our industry-leading commitment to releasing the highest quality entertainment, reaching our players in new ways and in new places, and trying to stay engaged with our consumers after launch. IGN: We’ve seen hackers using AI to clone games much faster than ever before, even attempting to jailbreak consoles. And there is some concern that this will lead to GTA 6 being available on PC unofficially or in places where it isn’t releasing. I was wondering to what extent this poses a threat to your business. And is there anything important I can do about it? Strauss Zelnick: I don’t think it’s a financial issue in terms of a threat to our business. I think it’s a creative question. It’s important for everyone, both our developers and our consumers, to deliver the experience Rockstar envisions. And at the same time, of course, we carefully protect our intellectual property. That’s why we focus on these concerns. We are not at all arrogant towards them. Technology is advancing rapidly. And at the same time, I think almost everyone wants the Rockstar experience as Rockstar intended. IGN: Related, last week Anthropic confirmed that they took steps to block Claude from reverse-engineering video games. I suppose you would appreciate it. And would you like other AI companies like OpenAI to do the same to prevent people from using these powerful AI models to clone your games? Strauss Zelnick: I think all companies should protect intellectual property, their own and everyone else’s. And if you’re in the intellectual property business, as Anthropic and OpenAI are, then it seems ironic, on the one hand, to trample on someone else’s intellectual property and expect your own to be protected. IGN: Your financials mention that NBA 2K27 came in below your forecast. What do you attribute that to and how can you improve things? Strauss Zelnick: I think the key point is that, while below our forecast, NBA 2K27 is our second-best NBA 2K launch ever. It is an immensely successful title. It sold 4 million units. And by releasing more content than ever throughout the rest of the year, we have expectations that the title will do even better than it already has. I think this timing may have affected performance so far. It has been a very busy period and we believe that the arrival of GTA 6 has had an influence on the consumer. That said, we’re delighted with NBA 2K27’s performance. IGN: There’s also a line about Borderlands 4. It’s now sold over 100 million units as a franchise. Congratulations on that. But there is a line about what awaits this series. Do you think Borderlands can significantly increase its audience and improve commercially? And if so, from your point of view, how can you achieve it? Strauss Zelnick: The answer is yes. It’s already a hugely successful franchise and I think there are many more to come. I think if you ask the team at Gearbox, they’re very optimistic that there’s still a lot left to do and I think there’s still a lot left to do. I’m very excited to move forward with all things Borderlands. Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images. Wesley is the editor-in-chief of IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can contact Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
