Variety wasn’t the only outlet to secure time with Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick at the iicon conference (see coverage here and here). Zelnick also sat down with Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier to discuss the highly anticipated GTA 6.
Boundless Creative Freedom
Take-Two strives to equip its development teams with virtually limitless resources—encompassing financial backing, human capital, and creative latitude. When pressed on whether Grand Theft Auto VI truly operates on an open-ended budget, the CEO offered a humorous anecdote: he once granted his son, Lucas (a stand-up comedian), an “unlimited” budget for his wedding, only to watch him manage to exceed it anyway.
The Strategy Behind Console Exclusivity
The choice to debut the title on consoles first stems from a commitment to prioritizing the core player base. Zelnick emphasized that failing to cater to your most dedicated audience can hinder your ability to capture the wider market later. (Data regarding revenue distribution for GTA Online across various platforms validates the effectiveness of this strategy.)
Furthermore, Zelnick dismissed speculation that the absence of a day-one PC release is the result of a marketing arrangement with Sony regarding PlayStation exclusivity. Instead, he clarified that the decision is rooted in simple precedent: “historically, Rockstar Games has gone to console first.”
Refining the Development Timeline
The report also clarifies that GTA 6 has been in active production for over eight years—countering the popular assumption that it has been in the works since the launch of GTA 5. This timeline suggests that full-scale development likely commenced shortly after the completion of Red Dead Redemption 2.
Source: gta.com.ua