- Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick defends Grand Theft Auto 6's $80 base price
- He says, "Our goal is to deliver way more value to consumers than what we charge them"
- The CEO says GTA 6 will be "an incredible bargain"
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has defended Grand Theft Auto 6's $80 base price, saying Rockstar Games will "overdeliver" on the experience.
Speaking during a Q&A session after the publisher's Q1 FY27 financial report, Zelnick explained that the game's cost has everything to do with maximizing price by delivering on an experience that will last for consumers.
"Our goal is to deliver way more value to consumers than what we charge them," Zelnick said when asked why it decided to leave NBA 2K27's base pricing at $70 compared to GTA 6, which is priced at $80, and how Take-Two will go forward with pricing other "premium" AAA titles. "And the truth is that the real cost of a AAA video game is a whole lot lower today than it was 20 years ago.
"Pricing has not kept pace with inflation. And our goal is to continue to overdeliver for our consumers because how you feel about any experience is the intersection of the experience itself and what you paid for it."
He continued, "So, to say that we expect that Grand Theft Auto 6 will be an incredible bargain as experiences go is a gross understatement, because Rockstar Games is known for overdelivering."
Zelnick also pointed to GTA Online, which is now 13 years old but continues to draw in millions of players every year, suggesting that a premium experience will keep players engaged, no matter the cost.
"Remember, we're 13 years after GTA Online was launched and people are still highly engaged," he said. "We have record-setting engagement at times. So, that's our goal.
"Our goal is not to maximize price. So, in this case, I think what we've decided to do makes a whole lot of sense in the context of what we're delivering. And that's the lens through which we're going forward as well."
GTA 6 will launch on November 19 with two editions: the Standard and Ultimate Edition. While the former costs $79.99 / £69.99, the more expensive $99.99 / £89.99 Ultimate Edition will offer additional content. While initially criticized by fans, Zelnick told analysts during the Q&A that it's selling more than the Standard Edition.
Take-Two also reported earnings of $1.39 billion during GTA 6's pre-order period, which Zelnick called an "exceptional start to pre-orders," but couldn't share specific sales numbers.
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