Take-Two Shareholders Back Zelnick as GTA VI's Online Payoff Slips to 2027

Take-Two investors re-elect CEO Strauss Zelnick and all nine board nominees as GTA VI's November 19, 2026 launch approaches.

Take-Two Interactive's investors have delivered a resounding endorsement of chief executive Strauss Zelnick, re-electing him alongside all nine other nominated board members. The vote of confidence keeps the company's leadership intact through the most consequential product launch in its history — and one whose revenue profile is shaping up to be more back-loaded than the headline date suggests.

Zelnick, at the helm since March 2007, will steer Grand Theft Auto VI to its scheduled November 19, 2026 release. Under his tenure, Take-Two shares have climbed roughly 1,200%, a run powered in large part by Grand Theft Auto V, which has sold more than 230 million copies worldwide.

That legacy sets an unusually high bar. Consensus estimates point to about 37 million units of the new title selling in fiscal 2027, with pre-order customers able to begin downloading game files from November 12, 2026. The launch will be confined to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S; Rockstar has yet to announce a PC version, and the studio is keeping technical specifics on performance tiers and enhancements for upgraded hardware under wraps.

The Multiplayer Question Hanging Over the Numbers

Where the financial story gets complicated is the online component. Twitch chief Dan Clancy, speaking after conversations with Rockstar Games, indicated that the real business momentum won't arrive until 2027, when the multiplayer mode is expected to go live. Clancy called the coming launch the biggest event of his seven-year tenure at the streaming platform and predicted a sharp jump in viewership next year, while advising rival publishers to steer clear of competing release dates.

Neither Take-Two nor Rockstar has officially confirmed that timeline. For the publisher, the split matters enormously: the predecessor's long-tail revenue rested squarely on the sustained success of its online business, so a delayed multiplayer rollout would push recurring income into the following fiscal year. Take-Two has stressed that the existing Grand Theft Auto Online will keep running even after the new game arrives.

A Budget in the Billions

Expectations surrounding the project are enormous. Industry estimates put pure development costs at $1 billion to $1.5 billion, with some analysts floating figures as high as $2 billion. Marketing isn't even factored into those projections — observers anticipate an additional global campaign running into the hundreds of millions. By comparison, the 2013 predecessor carried total costs including promotion of roughly $265 million.

Rockstar is also tightening its rules for the community. New modding guidelines covering the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption franchises prohibit unauthorized monetization and the unapproved linking of content across different titles.

Leaks, Subpoenas and a Soft Share Price

The company is simultaneously grappling with unwanted early disclosures. Following a series of data leaks, two federal judges in New York approved legal subpoenas compelling Microsoft and Discord to hand over data in an effort to identify a source known as Cyberleek.

On the trading floor, sentiment has been muted. Take-Two shares closed Wednesday at EUR 181.40, down 16% since the start of the year and 22% below their 52-week high. The stock was quoted at EUR 182.90 in more recent trading, a daily gain of 1.9%, though the year-to-date decline remains at 16%.

Investors get their next hard data point on November 5, 2026, when the company is expected to report results for the past quarter.