Take-Two CEO Discusses PC Versus Console Gaming Ahead Of GTA 6 Launch
In what just might be the most anticipated video game of all time, Grand Theft Auto VI remains on track to release this fall as originally scheduled, confirmation of which came in several mentions of the upcoming title in Take-Two Interactive's latest earnings release. However, there was no update on the status of a PC port. Should GTA 6 skip a multi-platform launch that leaves out the PC, it could miss out on over 40% of a game's typically sales.
That figure comes from Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, who offered some context on PC versus console gaming during a recent interview with IGN. Zelnick's 40% figure was directed at the Grand Theft Auto franchise specifically, but in general when it comes to how much a PC version of a game can account for its overall sales. In some cases, the PC version can even generate more than 40% of all sales.
"We have seen PC become a much more and more important part of what used to be a console business, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that trend continue. Of course, there will be a new console generation," Zelnick said.
That's an encouraging statement if you're a gamer whose platform of choice is the PC. It's also not without a caveat, which as Zelnick mentions is that a new generation of game consoles is on the horizon. Nintendo will be the first one to release a next-gen console with its upcoming Switch 2 handheld, and it's only a matter of time before Microsoft and Sony release the next iterations of the Xbox and PlayStation. When those launch, it could affect how developers and publishers approach their launch strategies.
What about GTA 6 specifically, though? When asked if GTA 6 potentially skipping the PC at launch would be a mistake, Zelnick offered up a mixed response.
"So with Civ 7, it's available on console and PC and Switch right away," Zelnick said. "With regard to others in our lineup, we don't always go across all platforms simultaneously. Historically, Rockstar has started with some platforms and then historically moved to other platforms."
It may seem like he's dancing around the question in the interview, but reading between the lines, this is probably the closest we have to a confirmation that GTA 6 will not launch on PC at the same time as console. Not that this is surprising—Rockstar Games didn't release a PC port of Grand Theft Auto V until around a year and a half after it released to console.
The fall season this year officially begins on September 22 and runs through December 21. If Rockstar Games and Take-Two follow the same release strategy for GTA 6, it would be late 2026 or early 2027 before the game makes it way to PC.
