Take-Two CEO Confident That GTA 6 Will Beat “Extraordinary Expectations”

Rockstar have a penchant for delivering transformative experiences, with each subsequent release topping the one that came before it. A perfect illustration of this is the jump from GTA 4 to GTA 5, or the unmatched detail and scale packed into Red Dead Redemption 2. GTA 6 carries the insurmountable burden of topping these giants, but despite the pressure, Take-Two’s CEO is confident that Rockstar can pull off that task.

The publisher’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, recently appeared on CNBC to reflect on Take-Two’s August investor call. During the segment, he addressed several GTA 6-related topics, including concerns about the impossibly high expectations surrounding the game

In response, Strauss stated, “That’s such a great question. We try not to pump expectations. Rockstar’s whole stock and trade is to have these extraordinary expectations and still beat them. I know that’s their goal, I know it’s going to be an amazing game. The rest we’ll see in the fullness of time.” The quote relays quiet confidence in Rockstar’s abilities, and it’s hard to argue against it considering the sheer caliber of the studio.

With that being said, GTA 6 is undoubtedly the toughest task the company has ever taken on. Its development coincided with the departure of key studio figures, including franchise veterans such as Dan Houser and Jeffrey ‘Lazlow’ Jones. Shortly after this, the title suffered a brutal leak, which saw hours of gameplay footage surface online — a catastrophe that likely had an impact on the game’s development.

On top of these setbacks, GTA 6 is going to be held against the most impossible of standards. Fans aren’t just expecting a blockbuster narrative baked into an interactive sandbox and packed with life-sim elements, but also an experience that pushes the medium forward. While Rockstar have consistently delivered on this front in the past, their quest design and narrative structure (in the case of GTA games at least) have remained largely unchanged. This has resulted in criticism of that formula, with fans demanding a lot more gameplay flexibility and player agency in the upcoming title.

All this is to say that expectations around GTA 6 rest firmly in the stratosphere. Players expect the game to be 10 things rolled into one, and anything less simply won’t suffice. Most studios, regardless of their pedigree, can crumble under that pressure. But as Rockstar have proven time and time again, they’re the exception. Strauss Zelnick’s comments reinforce that notion, and at the risk of plagiarizing his impeccable articulation, “The rest we’ll see in the fullness of time.”