If you were hoping Grand Theft Auto 6 would launch day one on Xbox Game Pass, you’re out of luck. Take-Two Interactive execs have been hesitant to launch the company’s games on subscription services like Xbox Game Pass, according to recent comments from the CEO.
In an interview with Gamesindustry.biz, CEO Strauss Zelnick mentioned that while adding the Call of Duty franchise to the service may attract players temporarily, it won’t change Take-Two’s release strategy.
Zelnick stated, “I think that offering a frontline title with a premium price in a subscription service, day and date, will push consumers to that subscription service for at least a period of time.” He added, “No, it won’t affect our decisions because our decisions are rational.”
While Take-Two has released some legacy titles on Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, it has avoided day one launches and intends to continue doing so. Zelnick believes subscriptions are beneficial for older titles but not as impactful for new releases compared to streaming services.
Zelnick previously stated that subscriptions might not be the primary method of game distribution in the future.
The company’s financials for the quarter showed minor growth in net bookings and revenue, attributed to games like NBA 2K24 and mobile titles, as well as the continued success of Grand Theft Auto 5, GTA Online, and Red Dead Redemption 2. Take-Two is preparing for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 release in fall 2025, along with other upcoming titles.
In related news, Zelnick addressed the Borderlands movie’s poor reviews in an interview with IGN, encouraging viewers to give the film a chance as the box office performance would not impact the franchise or the company financially.
