The publisher behind GTA 6 has published its new financial report, which also discusses the open-world shooter. The CEO has great expectations for the title.
What does the financial report say? The new financial report from Take Two (via Take2Games.com), the publisher behind GTA 6, addresses the entire company. The CEO also specifically mentions GTA 6. Although GTA 6 is set to be released on May 26, 2026, this date already falls into Take Two’s fiscal year 2027, for which there are no revenue or success forecasts yet.
To explain his thoughts on the delay, CEO Strauss Zelnick says: “I believe it is a worthwhile investment to give Rockstar additional time for such a groundbreaking project.” The development of the game is said to have only “seriously” started in 2020. The CEO attributes the late start to the massive success of Red Dead Redemption 2, which was released in 2018 and came to PC in 2019.
The expectations for the title are high not only among fans but also at the publisher. Zelnick states: “[…] the team is ready to deliver another amazing entertainment experience that will exceed player expectations.” However, the CEO does not further support this classic PR formulation with new updates from development or with specific features that would revolutionize the game.
Here you can watch the second trailer for GTA 6:
Good numbers for Rockstar Games
How is GTA 6 doing right now? Take-Two CEO Zelnick explains to investors that GTA 6 is already breaking records. The second trailer became the biggest video release in history, setting a new record with 475 million views across all platforms within 24 hours.
The first trailer also managed to generate significant attention, with 93 million views on YouTube alone within 24 hours – and that despite the debacle over leaks surrounding GTA 6. The second trailer currently stands at 110 million views there (via YouTube).
The song “Hot Together,” featured in the second trailer, saw its views on the music platform Spotify increase by 182,000%, which, according to the CEO, “[…] is further evidence of Rockstar’s ability to influence pop culture [.]”
GTA 6 is said to have cost 1 billion, but this is not confirmed
What are the development costs about? The website IGN estimates the production cost of the game blockbuster at 1 billion US dollars (approximately 892,717,656 euros [as of 05.16.25, 10:32]), but this estimate cannot be substantiated based on the new financial report.
Nevertheless, this US billion is currently making waves on social media (for example, X.com and X.com), as it would be the probably most expensive video game production of all time, effectively doubling the costs of Red Dead Redemption 2 if the production costs are confirmed (via PCWelt).
Take Two and Rockstar Games have not publicly commented on the production costs yet.
No matter how much GTA 6 is said to have cost, the expectations from fans, investors, and the publisher are high. The fact that developers now have even more time to complete their mega project is likely a good sign for the quality of the game, but this is not the case with every company: The next hit from Ubisoft is said to be released only in 2-3 years, fans don’t think it’s about quality – and I agree with them
