After many years of silence, Rockstar Games has returned with its next big title, Grand Theft Auto 6. Many people have been anticipating this title, and it’s not just gamers who are keeping their eyes on this project. According to the Financial Times, a DFC Intelligence analyst believes the game will exceed $1 billion in pre-orders before its release in the fall of 2025. They also predict the expected total revenue in 12 months will reach $3.2 billion.
Take-Two’s chief executive, Strauss Zelnick, said that although he didn’t like to claim victory before it occurred, he believed Rockstar Games would deliver another phenomenal game. IDG Consulting chief executive Yoshio Osaki agreed with Zelnick’s words, saying that Grand Theft Auto 6 will become one of the most prominent entertainment product launches in history. “The pent-up demand is greater than anything we’ve seen before,” Osaki told the Financial Times.
More than ten years have passed since the previous games, and fans are definitely more than ready to get their hands on Grand Theft Auto 6. The first trailer that Rockstar Games released on YouTube earned over 200 million views and 11 million likes. Fans who heard this news also didn’t show any surprise about the big numbers the analyst claimed. “Water is wet,” one Redditor wrote. “When do we think we’ll see a second trailer?”
Grand Theft Auto 6‘s success is the great news that Take-Two wants to hear. With the end of the pandemic, numerous gaming companies have been struggling, and news of layoffs has become routine in the industry. Take-Two even fired five percent of its workforce in April, with some estimating around 600 people affected. If Rockstar Games could release another big hit, it would greatly help Take-Two’s future prospects.
Zelnick told the Financial Times that he was shocked at the reduction in player demand that began in 2022. This unexpected turn of events was the primary cause of companies having to restructure. However, with Grand Theft Auto 6‘s upcoming release, the man was a lot more positive about 2025. With numerous projects planned to be launched next year, he believed that the gaming industry would get an upward trend. “A hit coming from one company tends to benefit the entire industry,” Zelnick said.
