During a financial call with analysts on Friday, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick said pre-order numbers for Grand Theft Auto 6 have been “exceptional.” He didn’t share exact numbers for GTA 6.
As reported by Variety, Zelnick goes on to say:
“I can say that the level of pre-orders is unprecedented and astonishing, and we’re very grateful for that. But they are so unprecedented that we just don’t know how it’ll translate into sales, which is a question I answered earlier. We genuinely don’t, and we just don’t believe in claiming victory before it occurs.”
Arguably the most anticipated game of all time, Take-Two is expecting GTA 6 to take in some big numbers. Pre-orders first opened on June 25, right after Take-Two revealed the price of the game as $79.99 USD for the Standard Edition, and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition. This drew some backlash as the Ultimate Edition contains exclusive weapons, vehicles, and even shops, with fans claiming content that would normally be in the full game is locked behind a version. Zelnick also commented on the price, however.
“I think that Rockstar got it right in terms of the pricing of this standard edition and the pricing of the deluxe edition, and I think there’s no doubt that consumers are really excited about both,” he says. “And I think depending on your own ability to pay and how avid a consumer you are, you can choose between them. But the pre-orders have been exceptional, and we’re happy with the mix as well.”
In terms of the recent quarter, Take-Two reported $1.39 billion in net bookings from April 1-June 30, while revenue for the quarter hit $1.53 billion. It wasn’t broken down by title, but Zelnick did say strong performances from the NBA 2K and GTA franchises were behind the numbers. However, this does represent a fall of three percent from the same quarter last year, which was $1.42 billion in net bookings.
Of course, all eyes will now be on the reports for Take-Two’s next quarter, with the looming launch of GTA 6. Despite being out in a matter of months, we’ve still yet to see a single second of actual gameplay. But that might come in the “extended look” premiering on August 27, bizarrely, exclusively on Netflix for roughly six hours — before it then hits Rockstar’s own social accounts.
GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
