The head of the company working on GTA VI: ‘Expectations are terrifying!’

The bar has been set incredibly high

Grand Theft Auto 6 is probably the most anticipated game of all time. After the continued success of Rockstar Games’ blockbusters such as GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, the pressure to deliver a flawless product to fans has reached its peak. Speaking to Bloomberg at the Interactive Innovation conference in Las Vegas, Zelnick pointed out that despiteč the goal remains to provide players with the best possible experience.

​- I think our goal is to give consumers something they’ve never experienced before. Being on the sidelines but very close to the front line is very, very exciting. And intimidating. Because the expectations are so high.

And these expectations are not without foundation. Analysts predict that the game could sell more than 25 million copies on the first day alone and generate $7.6 billion in revenue in the first 60 days of release. In this context, it is believed that sales of “only” ten million copies would be a disaster for Take-Two, considering that GTA 6 is one of the most expensive games ever made.

The most expensive entertainment product in history

Analyzes of financial reports suggest that GTA 6 could become the most expensive entertainment product in history, with total development and marketing costs that could exceed a staggering three billion dollars. These huge investments set new standards in the industry and further increase the pressure. Zelnick himself confirmed the trend of rising costs.

​- At a low level, this applies to Take-Two’s entire business plan on the console side. Development costs went up and up. And we really aim to deliver the best quality entertainment in the world. And it’s expensive. The impact of artificial intelligence does not change that. We haven’t seen those costs come down yet. Maybe we will. Maybe we won’t.

It is interesting that Zelnick recently confirmed that generative artificial intelligence has no role in the creation of the world of GTA 6, which is completely handcrafted, which further justifies the high costs. The company even recently closed its internal AI department to focus resources on core game development.

Release delay and focus on consoles

Although the pressure is enormous, Rockstar Games is not in a hurry. The new official release date for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S is now November 19, 2026, which is about six months later than originally planned. The reason for the delay was the need for additional time to “polish” the game to the level of quality that fans expect. In the same interview, Zelnick also confirmed that GTA 6 will not be available for PC on the day of release, explaining that Rockstar always starts with consoles because with such a release “it is judged by how you served the core audience”.

A legacy that creates pressure

Expectations for GTA 6 are based on the incredible success of its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto V, which has sold more than 225 million copies since its release in 2013, making it one of the best-selling entertainment products of all time. The long break of more than a decade between the main sequels further increased the anticipation. The first trailer for the game, released in December 2023, broke viewership records on YouTube and confirmed global interest. The game is set in the fictional state of Leonidas, based on Florida, with a return to Vice City. The story will follow the criminal duo, Lucia and Jason, which is the first time that the series in the modern era has a female protagonist.