Grand Theft Auto 6 is expected to be one of the most expensive video games ever developed, but Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick believes the investment is justified. In a recent interview, he discussed the game's development costs and explained why Rockstar Games was given additional time to deliver the highly anticipated title.
Speaking about the production, Zelnick acknowledged that GTA 6 was expensive and took considerable time to develop. He said the company's ambition is to create the highest-quality entertainment experience, which sometimes requires substantial financial and creative resources.
According to Zelnick, Take-Two's financial position allows it to support Rockstar's ambitions. He also noted that successful projects can eventually recover their costs and generate significant returns. However, he avoided declaring GTA 6 a guaranteed success before its release.
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Zelnick also questioned the industry practice of prioritising release schedules over product quality. Without mentioning any particular company, he mentioned a famous game that was released in so bad a state that it eventually got withdrawn from being sold.
It is generally assumed that Zelnick was talking about Cyberpunk 2077 released by CD Projekt Red. This role-playing video game experienced many technical issues after its December 2020 release, especially on the old consoles. It was temporarily withdrawn from the PlayStation Store, and the company had to issue refunds and work on the game for years.
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According to Zelnick, publishers should not release their products if they are incomplete just to meet their deadlines. Instead of releasing a failed product, it would make sense to invest more time and money in it.
Rockstar has already delayed GTA 6 multiple times, with its current release date set for November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Its commercial performance will be closely watched across the gaming business.