The quarterly financial report of Take-Two was traditionally accompanied by a press interaction with its head, during which there was unusually a lot of talk about GTA 6. According to Strauss Zelnick, it is the most anticipated entertainment product of all time, a statement that’s hard to argue with.
About the Delay
The CEO claims that the postponement, which happened six months before the release (it turns out it was planned for the end of November?), was necessary to achieve the desired result in creating a game that will exceed all expectations. He is also confident about May 26, 2026, and historically T2 games, if they receive a precise release date, are not delayed. Moreover, it’s a good way to reassure everyone that the game will be released. But what else could he say? Even if it’s postponed again, which we do not rule out, it’s too early to talk about it.
Development Start
Mr. Zelnick stated that Grand Theft Auto VI has been “seriously” in development since 2020. This indirectly confirms the established belief that work began in 2018 after the release of RDR 2. As we know, starting the next project right after the release of the previous one has been a long-standing practice for Rockstar Games.
Estimated Game Budget
Rumors that the creation of GTA 6 cost 2 billion dollars have been floating around the Internet for a long time. However, they have no real or even seemingly credible sources. This figure once appeared and was widely circulated. Now, resources have misinterpreted the authors of IGN and picked up on the “real cost,” supposedly more than 1 billion. But there is no direct speech from the head of the rights-holder company on this matter. Perhaps this amount is merely an estimate by analysts.
However, it might be close to the truth. For example, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020) officially spent 700 million, and GTA 5, unofficially, 265 million. It’s quite likely that a full billion was needed for “six.” And considering that marketing usually (but not necessarily this time) involves a similar investment, the total could very well reach two billion.
Source: gta.com.ua