Take-Two Interactive has announced $1.39 billion in sales for the quarter ending June 30th. If you’ll recall, pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto 6 began in the final week of the quarter, although CEO Strauss Zelnick didn’t confirm how much it contributed.
However, he noted in a call with analysts (as reported by Variety) 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.”
Of course, they weren’t without controversy. Besides the $100 Ultimate Edition locking away five stores and cosmetics for $20 more than the Standard Edition, neither physical version comes with a disc. PlayStation’s decision to stop manufacturing discs for new titles from January 2028 onwards has only added further fuel to the debate.
Nevertheless, as indicated by GTA 6 dominating PlayStation Store pre-orders worldwide, the pricing hasn’t detered anyone. As Zelnick noted, “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.
“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.”
Analyst firm Newzoo estimates that Grand Theft Auto 6 could reach $4.5 billion in sales in its launch week. With its recently announced Extended Look, premiering first on August 27th via Netflix before arriving hours later on YouTube and the official site, that pre-order momentum could very well continue into its November 19th launch.
Stay tuned for more updates, and in the meantime, you can read our thoughts about the Netflix deal. It may even change video game premieres and showcases as we know them, even if not every release can have the same impact as Rockstar’s next.
