Take-Two’s financial update has finally given a hint on when players should expect GTA 6 release to happen. Comments from Take-Two’s annual investor call suggest that the game could be in the hands of players as early as 2024.
After a record-breaking financial year for Take-Two (the parent company of Rockstar Games), the company has dared to dream bigger including setting an $8 billion revenue goal for the 2025 fiscal year. The company is betting this huge revenue goal on the release of several games within this period.
“We finished fiscal 2023 with momentum,” said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two. “Our fourth quarter Net Bookings were $1.4 billion, above the high end of our guidance range, driven by Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Zynga’s mobile portfolio.”
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The company’s net bookings for the last fiscal year hit $5.3 billion. This is partly due to the acquisition of Zynga. Prior to that, the company’s earnings were usually capped at around $3 billion annually. Unless the company is planning another major acquisition, it will be looking at GTA 6 to reach its lofty financial goal.
“We believe that we will enter our next phase of growth in Fiscal 2025, as we plan to deliver several groundbreaking titles that we anticipate will set new standards of quality and success and enable us to deliver over $8 billion in Net Bookings and over $1 billion in Adjusted Unrestricted Operating Cash Flow. We expect to sustain this momentum with additional growth in operating performance in Fiscal 2026.”
Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two
Although Rockstar Games has barely revealed anything about GTA 6, major leaks have left breadcrumbs of hints about the protagonist as well as the size of the map and settings.
Zelnick would not confirm GTA 6 release date
After the management comments in the company’s financial report went viral, several media outlets, including IGN reached out to Zelnick for comments on GTA 6 release date but the Take-Two boss declined to comment on that.
However, reading through Zelnick’s comment in the company’s financial report press release, he sounded confident that several big games will be released in the 2025 fiscal year. However, there are a few Take-Two titles that can match the popularity of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. This makes us believe all the more that GTA 6 release will happen around that time.
“After numerous years of investment and creative development, we are excited about this next chapter for Take-Two. As we execute our strategy and release what we expect will be an array of hit titles, we believe that we will grow our scale and margins, generating industry-leading returns for our shareholders.”
Strauss Zelnick
Why GTA 6 release will likely happen in 2024
For those that may not be aware already, the 2025 fiscal year will start on April 1, 2024, and end on March 31, 2025. While it is possible that GTA 6 release may come as early as April next year, it is still possible that it can be delayed until March 2025.
However, to get the most numbers into their 2025 fiscal year, Take-Two will likely work hard so that GTA 6 release will happen earlier in the 2025 fiscal year so that as the game builds momentum, they will easily hit the $8 billion revenue target in that fiscal year.
Although most of the attention has been on GTA 6 release, we did not fail to notice that Zelnick said the company will “release what we expect will be an array of hit titles”. Interestingly, apart from GTA 6 release, nobody seems to be talking about the other “hit titles”. Our best bet is that the Take-Two team has a huge surprise up their sleeves for the gaming world.
Take-Two boss weighs in on the Microsoft Activision deal
After Take-Two’s Q4 earnings report was revealed, including the possibility of GTA 6 release, the company’s stocks experienced an upward spiral. However, during the investor’s call, Zelnick also reiterated his opinion about the regulatory controversy trailing the Microsoft Activision deal.
“What’s good for [Xbox] is also good for the industry,” Zelnick said. “I think it’s important never to confuse a distribution technology with a business model. I would love to believe that streaming our titles would massively expand the marketplace. However, I’m not sure there’s any reason to believe that.”
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Take-Two has remained firmly in support of the deal which would be the biggest acquisition in the history of the gaming industry. In recent years, Take-Two has borrowed Activision-Blizzard’s service game model and Grand Theft Auto Online has remained one of the most popular online games.
Do you think Zelnick’s comment in the Q4 earnings report and the company’s $8 billion revenue projection in Fiscal 2025 has anything to do with GTA 6 release? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
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