- Take-Two has signed a new publishing deal with Xbox and Microsoft ahead of GTA 6's November 19, 2026, release.
- According to the deal, Take-Two can develop, publish, market, advertise, and sell Xbox products for all Xbox devices.
- Microsoft retains approval rights over marketing materials, while Take-Two earns revenue from Xbox digital sales.
After weeks of Sony boasting about how GTA 6 plays best on PS5, Take-Two has now signed a new publishing deal with Xbox and Microsoft less than two months before the game’s release on November 19, 2026. Most Xbox players would think that the GTA 6 publisher is doing a hard pivot towards their platform, but that’s not the case.
According to Take-Two’s SEC filing, the GTA 6 publisher and Xbox’s parent company, Microsoft, have entered a new “long-term XBOX Publisher License Agreement with an effective date of September 17, 2026. The Agreement grants the company to develop, publish, have manufactured, market, advertise, distribute, and sell Xbox compatible products for all XBOX devices.”
In the deal, Microsoft retains approval rights over game concepts, final versions, and certain marketing materials. So, this has less to do with GTA 6, and more so about a deal renewal that both companies already had. Microsoft will also pay Take-Two through wholesale pricing and/or revenue sharing on its digital products.
Take-Two could have renewed the deal to cover Project Helix, which is rumored to launch in 2027, after mentioning “all Xbox devices.” The previous publisher agreement was specific to Xbox consoles such as Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, so the new one should encompass all the upcoming ones too, including Project Helix.
So, what does this mean for Rockstar’s upcoming title? Nothing, really. It means that Microsoft can continue to market GTA 6 on its Xbox consoles ahead of its November 19 launch. Given that GTA 6 is already “breaking records” on Xbox, the renewed publishing deal simply ensures that Take-Two and Microsoft can continue their existing commercial relationship as the game heads toward release.
Some people also seem to think that this is a sign of a potential Xbox sale in the future. However, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has already confirmed that Microsoft isn’t selling Xbox. That said, do you think this new publishing deal between Take-Two and Xbox will have an impact on GTA 6? Let us know.
