Grand Theft Auto VI delay causes Take-Two shares to drop, while CEO Strauss Zelnick assures investors that everything is fine

As the wildly unpopular announcement of Rockstar Games delaying Grand Theft Auto VI from 2025 until mid-2026 came earlier this morning, shares for Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), its parent company, fell by 10% in pre-market trading (via FT).

At the time of writing, Take Two stock rests at -8.92% and almost appeared to be crawling steadily upwards before that, offsetting some of the shocking drop, but it didn't last. The decision wasn't a surprise to the parties involved, as evidenced by Take-Two's press release that came alongside Rockstar Games' announcement, and its CEO offered some reassurance.

Grand Theft Auto VI was originally revealed with its first trailer on December 4, 2023, and developers at Rockstar Games targeted a vague "2025" release window, which moved closer to a plan for the Fall of 2025.

Now, the blockbuster sequel, perhaps one of the most anticipated games of all time, has been pushed back to May 26, 2026, at the earliest.

Take-Two financial results are incoming

Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 1 - YouTube

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Take-Two references the incredible hype around the game in its press statement, but seems to remain confident that the game will be a success:

“While we take the movement of our titles seriously and appreciate the vast and deep global anticipation for Grand Theft Auto VI, we remain steadfast in our commitment to excellence."

How much this delay could affect the publisher and, in turn, development teams at Rockstar Games in terms of a dollar value isn't certain, but Take-Two"plans to report its financial results for the fourth quarter and Fiscal 2025, after the market close on Thursday, May 15, 2025", so that will be the earliest opportunity to hear more on the financial effects.

Either way, gaming audiences are expressing a mix of emotions across social media after hearing the news of the GTA 6 delay. Personally, I'm not sure that the game could possibly live up to the immense immersion that its die-hard fans have come to expect, and I'm not particularly excited for Grand Theft Auto 6.

Maybe some extra time in the oven will help build some extra content to appeal to me, but I can't imagine this delay was a popular move behind the scenes at Take-Two. At least other developers in the industry can sigh a relief for their titles launching in late 2025.. but probably not those who Take-Two also owns.

I'll be watching for Take-Two's financial results later this month.