Take-Two reaffirms November release for “GTA 6,” reports better-than-expected Q4 net bookings
Take-Two said Rockstar will kick off its “GTA 6” marketing campaign this summer.
Gaming giant Take-Two Interactive reported its fiscal fourth-quarter results after markets closed on Thursday. Shares climbed 4% in after-hours trading.
More than any specific line item, investors were focused on any and all updates about “Grand Theft Auto VI,” the long-awaited follow-up to a franchise that hasn’t seen a new entry in 13 years. On that front, Take-Two reaffirmed a November 19, 2026, release date, easing fears of another delay.
In a call with investors, CEO Strauss Zelnick called the game “arguably the most anticipated entertainment property of all time,” and said that Rockstar will start its marketing campaign this summer.
In its report for the quarter that ended in March, Take-Two reported:
$1.58 billion in net bookings, compared to Wall Street’s estimate of $1.55 billion, per analysts polled by FactSet.
Full-year net bookings guidance for fiscal 2027 of between $8 billion and $8.2 billion, compared to the $9.13 billion consensus expectation.
2027’s net bookings guidance represents a 22% hike from 2026, or roughly $1.5 billion at the higher end. Much of that bump will be from “GTA 6,” which is set to come out in Take-Two’s fiscal third quarter. Morgan Stanley expects 40 million copies to sell in the fiscal year ending March 2027.
Still, the forecast appears muted compared to analyst expectations and consumer hype for “GTA 6,” especially considering that Zelnick rejected the idea of any cannibalization.
“This is a management team that never claims success before it occurs,” said Zelnick, speaking to the company’s internal expectations. “We are appropriately humble around here. This is the entertainment business, it is unforgiving. We try our hardest. We don’t always succeed,” he added later in the call. Zelnick also noted that the previous two “Grand Theft Auto” and “Red Dead” titles outperformed the company’s expectations.
Take-Two has seen elevated trading activity this month on analyst notes and online rumors about preorder timing as hype continues to build for “GTA 6” — a game some expect to sell 25 million copies on day 1. Bank of America expects the game to retail for $80, though Take-Two has thus far refused to provide pricing details.
Fueling those online rumors: Take-Two’s extreme restraint with its official “GTA” updates. The game has been delayed twice, and its last trailer came out more than a year ago.
