Take-Two Interactive’s quarterly earnings call had plenty of new information about GTA 6, including why the game won’t have an early access perk. Speaking to investors, CEO Strauss Zelnick was also asked why Take-Two Interactive is selling fewer special versions of GTA 6–so far only the $80 standard and $100 ultimate editions are available to preorder–and why early access wasn’t offered as an additional perk, when it is available for its line of 2K sports games like NBA, WWE, and PGA Tour.
Zelnick explained that the pricing decisions ultimately belong to Rockstar Games, and while it could have charged more for features like paid early access, the studio was once again aiming to provide value to its consumers. “Given the hype around this title, I mean, I think we could have made any number of other pricing choices,” Zelnick explained. “But as I said earlier, our focus is on delivering way more value than what we charge for something.”
Essentially, Zelnick explained that both GTA 6 editions are already value-packed products in the eyes of the company, and while preorders are exceptionally high, he did note that these could always be canceled before the game launches on November 19. That has led to Take-Two Interactive being cautiously optimistic, but the company is still expecting GTA 6 to help increase its revenue by 20% in its current financial year.
Early access has become more commonplace for new games over the last couple of years, and in addition to Take-Two, companies like Microsoft make extensive use of it to give players extra incentive to buy a premium edition of a game–which obviously costs more than the regular version. Forza Horizon 6 offered a headstart when it launched earlier this year, and Gears of War: E-Day will also have an early access period for owners of the game’s special edition.
Meanwhile, GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and you can check out an “extended” preview of the game first on Netflix on August 27–if you’re a Netflix subscriber.
