Take-Two boss hints at ‘reasonable’ GTA VI price

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has indicated that gamers will pay a “reasonable” price for the much-hyped Grand Theft Auto VI when it is released later this year.

Strauss Zelnick has suggested that Grand Theft Auto VI will be priced “reasonably”, despite ongoing speculation that the blockbuster title could break new ground with a higher-than-usual launch cost.

Speaking at an industry conference, the Take-Two Interactive boss stopped short of confirming an exact price, but emphasised that value for players would remain the company’s guiding principle.

Zelnick said: “Consumers pay for the value that you bring to them, and our job is to charge way way way less of the value delivery. Consumers need to feel like the thing itself is amazing and the price they were charged was fair for what they got.”

The comments arrive amid growing debate over whether GTA VI could exceed the current $70 standard for AAA games, particularly given its expected scale and lengthy development cycle at Rockstar Games.

Zelnick also pointed out that, when adjusted for inflation, game prices have effectively fallen over time, noting that major releases have remained relatively stable for more than a decade despite rising development costs.

He said: “If you look at it through that lens, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Instead, we look at how do we deliver something amazing, and how do we make sure that what people pay for it feels very reasonable.”

While pricing remains under wraps, expectations for GTA VI continue to soar. Zelnick described the project as an ambitious attempt to create “the most spectacular piece of entertainment on Earth, in history”, adding that the company’s primary focus is quality rather than sales targets.

He said: “What we think about is making the most spectacular piece of entertainment on Earth, in history.

If we do that… then the upside will take care of itself.”

The long-awaited sequel to Grand Theft Auto V is widely expected to be one of the biggest entertainment launches of all time, with Zelnick joking that many players may be “calling in sick” when it finally arrives in November.