Cdiscount Data Propels Take-Two to Record Heights as GTA VI Pre-Orders Trigger Analyst Upgrades

Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders at Cdiscount exceed entire campaigns of Call of Duty, driving Take-Two stock near all-time high. BTIG raises price target to $293 amid massive demand.

The hype surrounding Grand Theft Auto VI is translating into hard numbers from an unlikely source. French retailer Cdiscount reported that the game racked up six times more pre-orders in a single day than entire campaign cycles of blockbuster franchises like Call of Duty. That data point has lit a fire under Take-Two Interactive’s stock, which is now brushing against its all-time high.

Investment bank BTIG responded by reaffirming a buy rating and lifting its price target to $293. Analyst Clark Lampen pointed to the Cdiscount figures as evidence of a demand surge that outpaces even the most optimistic scenarios. A player survey adds further fuel: roughly 80% of respondents said they plan to buy the more expensive Ultimate Edition, a stark contrast to BTIG’s earlier assumption of just 20%. Lampen cautioned, however, that the poll likely skewed toward highly engaged fans, creating a statistical distortion.

Take-Two’s equity has absorbed that excitement with a 20% monthly climb, settling at €222.40—just one percent shy of its record high. In after-hours trading on Thursday, the stock ticked up to €223, trimming that gap further. Yet the rally has pushed the Relative Strength Index to 71.8, flirting with overbought territory. Elevated options activity, dominated by call contracts, has amplified the momentum. The 14% distance from the 50-day moving average is unusually wide, and implied volatility stands near 35%, underscoring the market’s edginess.

Behind the headlines, not everything is rosy. Management warned in May that the company still expects a net loss for fiscal 2027, making GTA VI the critical lever to flip the bottom line. Piper Sandler’s analysts, drawing on Reddit data, model more than 45 million units sold at launch—a figure that would dwarf most industry releases. Meanwhile, the pricing strategy reinforces the revenue picture: the standard edition costs $80, while the top-tier version approaches $100. Take-Two projects net bookings above $8 billion for fiscal 2027, a leap from prior years, buoyed by the game’s November 19 release and a steady stream of ancillary content such as a Mafia expansion due in mid-August.

The stock’s rapid ascent has altered its shareholder makeup. At the end of June, Take-Two was dropped from several Russell value indices, prompting passive funds to rebalance. The shift pushes the equity into portfolios focused on growth rather than value, a structural change that could sustain demand from institutional buyers.

All eyes are now on the launch date. Rockstar Games has to deliver on the astronomical expectations baked into the current price. Until the first sales figures land, every data point—from Cdiscount’s pre-order tally to Reddit chatter—will move the shares. If the stock can break decisively above its old high, it opens up room for another leg higher. But the RSI and volatility readings serve as a clear reminder: this story is a binary bet on one product, and the fall is as steep as the climb.