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Take-Two CEO Defends Hit Library as GTA 6 Launch Nears

At a Wall Street Journal tech conference, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick was asked whether the company has enough hits beyond GTA 6. His answer pointed to 15 franchises that have each sold at least 5 million copies.

Published by the LeonidaNews desk. Updated .On the record

Original LeonidaNews graphic about Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick and the GTA 6 launch

With GTA 6 two weeks from launch, a Wall Street Journal tech conference asked Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick whether the publisher depends too heavily on one big release. The exchange went viral among gamers, with many finding the question odd given Take-Two’s catalog. Confirmed

What Zelnick said

The question came as Take-Two’s stock sat nearly 20% below its peak from late last year, according to Kotaku. Zelnick’s reply, paraphrased:

  • Take-Two has 15 franchises that have each sold at least 5 million copies in individual releases.
  • He called it the best collection of owned intellectual property in the industry and said that shows in the company’s top line, bottom line and market value.
  • He cited Red Dead Redemption, whose most recent release sold more than 65 million copies, alongside Red Dead Online and GTA Online.
  • He also named NBA 2K, WWE 2K, BioShock, Borderlands, Civilization and mobile titles such as Words With Friends.

The other side of the question

Kotaku argued the question was not ridiculous, noting that no entertainment company wants to rely on a single hit and that some of Take-Two’s other lines have faced questions. It cited Borderlands 4 and Civilization 7 as not having been runaway successes and said a new BioShock has still not shipped. Those are the outlet’s views, not facts we have verified independently. Reported

What he has not said

GTA BOOM reports that Zelnick again declined to give a GTA 6 budget figure, saying only that the game was expensive. Reported Take-Two has not published a development cost. Pre-order demand is similarly unquantified by the company; see our note on Sensor Tower’s estimate.

What comes next

Take-Two reports quarterly results on November 9, its last scheduled investor call before launch. We explain the date and what investors will be listening for in Take-Two earnings: what to watch. For Take-Two’s earlier comments on platforms and modes, see our reports on online at launch and PC.

Sources

Editorial note: LeonidaNews separates official announcements from reporting and speculation. This article reflects information available on November 7, 2026; we will update it if the underlying sources change.

More on Take-Two and the business