Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming! Not to us on Team PC, mind: It will eventually, but right now it’s a strict console exclusive. Why? Hard to say: Publisher Take-Two Interactive has taken pains to reassure PC gamers that they’re very important and loved, but also, y’know, not now.
The latest reassurance to gamers on personal computers came during Take-Two’s annual shareholders meeting, held yesterday, during which Take-Two chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick was asked about the potential impact of PlayStation 5 Pro shortages—ironically, driven at least in part by the looming launch of GTA 6—on the company’s plans for releasing the game on PC.
After clarifying that the question is really about “the cadence of PC launches,” Zelnick continued, “The strategy of the company is over time, generally speaking, to launch for any platforms for which there’s a meaningful audience. But that isn’t always the case, and certainly if platforms were no longer viable, we would change that strategy. And I would note that the PC platform is becoming more and more important to our company over time.”
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So, what does that mean? Essentially, that Zelnick doesn’t want to talk about it: GTA 6, for better or worse, is a console exclusive, and that’s clearly where the studio’s focus is.
Which isn’t to say Zelnick’s response isn’t confusing, but that’s something of an ongoing pattern: In May he said PC can account for up to half the total sales of major game releases, but that GTA 6 is debuting on consoles because Take-Two is focused on “serving the core consumer,” which apparently does not include PC gamers—those gamers who, you may recall, can account for up to half the total sales of major game releases.
Those struck me as inherently contradictory statements, and saying the PC is “becoming more and more important” when it’s clearly already very important doesn’t really clear that air. I can understand why Zelnick wouldn’t want to just come out and state the obvious reason for holding back GTA 6 on PC—double-dipping—but if he did, we’d at least be able to relax and say, ‘Well, yeah, that makes sense.’
Speaking of not wanting to talk about things, Zelnick was also asked about GTA Online during the meeting, to which he reminded attendees that GTA 6 is “a singleplayer experience,” and that GTA 5 Online “continues to be a robust business for us” that Take-Two will continue to support. The CEO of Twitch thinks GTA 6 multiplayer will come out next year, but it’s not entirely clear whether he’s speculating or relaying inside info.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19. We’ll get it someday.
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