- Take-Two CEO, Strauss Zelnick, made a candid admission about playing GTA 6 early during an interview with CNBC.
- The 67-year old stated that he has refrained from playing the game because he's simply "not a gamer."
- The CEO added that he prefers "getting out of the way," and allowing developers to flourish without micro-managing.
GTA 6 is a sweeping tsunami standing by on the shore, a culture-defining work that will sell millions, even if it lands with a whimper. Every individual with a fraction of interest in gaming has been left frothing at the mouth by each sliver of footage Rockstar has released thus far. Yet, the man at the helm of their parent company, Take-Two, is seemingly uninterested in trying out the game for himself.
The revelation came via a recent CNBC Squawk Box appearance from Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, who, among other things, claimed that Rockstar is hard at work creating “the best thing ever seen in entertainment.” Aside from this, Zelnick also had this to say after being pressed about playing GTA 6 early: “I’m not a gamer, not a lot—I don’t play video games, I’m not the consumer-in-chief.”
This candid admission might seem like heresy to staunch players who roll their eyes at the sight of gaming execs. But to his credit, Zelnick provided some admirable rationale. He stated,
“My role is to attract, retain, and motivate the best talent in the business, and then getting out of their way. I think being the consumer-in-chief in the entertainment business as the CEO is probably a mistake.“
Needless to say, the 67-year-old knows the trade inside-out, having been at senior positions across 20th Century Fox, Crystal Dynamics, and CBS. He now leads Take-Two, which is set to release AAA heavyweights including Borderlands 4 and Mafia: The Old Country, before dropping the neon-soaked nuke known as GTA 6 in Q2 2026.
While Zelnick made it abundantly clear that he’ll shy away from playing the game early, he mentioned that he still shares his “opinions pretty openly” with all the studios under Take-Two. So, while his management approach might not exactly be laissez-faire, the CEO makes sure not to interfere with the development cycle – a lesson some noteworthy execs could benefit from.
With that being said, what is your biggest hope for GTA 6? Let us know in the comments below.
