- Take-Two Strauss Zelnick was questioned about the company's lack of "big hits" in a new Wall Street Journal interview.
- Zelnick pushed back, pointing out that 15 of the company's franchises have individually sold at least five million units.
- Zelnick also highlighted GTA and RDR's success, firing back at WSJ to "examine the facts."
Rockstar and Take-Two are gearing up for what could be the biggest gaming release of the decade with GTA 6. However, in a November 5, 2026, interview with The Wall Street Journal, the interviewer questioned Take-Two’s lack of major hits despite the success of GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, prompting CEO Strauss Zelnick to push back with a smart response.
Strauss Zelnick Hilariously Reminds WSJ Interviewer That Take-Two Owns GTA and Red Dead
During the Wall Street Journal interview, interviewer Jessica Toonkel asked whether Take-Two is concerned about GTA 6’s release for not having “enough big hits” in its library. Not only did CEO Strauss Zelnick have a hilarious reaction to the statement, but he also laid out the facts straight. Here’s what he said:
“Look, we have 15 franchises that have each sold at least five million units in their individual release. I think we have the best collection of owned intellectual property in the video game business. And I think that’s reflected in our top line, our bottom line, and our market cap. So, I guess the way I respond to it is, like, examine the facts.”
Zelnick then went beyond GTA 6 and past GTA games to praise Take-Two’s other games, saying, “We have, in addition to Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, a massive title. It sold over 65 million units in the recent release. Red Dead Online, GTA Online. We have NBA 2K, which is the second-biggest sports title worldwide, and the biggest in North America.”
The Take-Two CEO also listed titles like BioShock, WWE 2K, Civilization, Borderlands, and hundreds of other mobile games in the WSJ interview to describe the company’s slew of hits in the past decades. For context, GTA 5 has sold over 230 million copies since its 2013 release, followed by RDR 2 at 87 million units.
If you look at how many GTA 6 pre-orders have been sold, the reported revenue is already inching towards the $1 billion mark, weeks ahead of its November 19, 2026 release. The Take-Two CEO himself revealed that GTA 6 pre-orders are “astronomical” during the company’s investor call on August 7.
So, the WSJ interviewer’s question to Strauss Zelnick about Take-Two’s gaming library not having “enough big hits” is false, since the company’s previous games have all been major successes, and GTA 6 won’t be different. GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 both hold 97 Metacritic scores, making them massive critical and commercial hits.
Later in the interview, Toonkel also asked an awkward question to Zelnick about Netflix’s failure to enter the video game business, despite Take-Two’s strong partnership with the company, which recently debuted the GTA 6 Extended Look on the platform.
So, the interview is definitely interesting, especially ahead of GTA 6’s highly anticipated launch, but some of it is for the wrong reasons. That said, what do you think about the Wall Street Journal interview? Let us know.
