Grand Theft Auto 6 is still on-track to release in just under six months. And while it’s too soon to claim the title will receive the same critical acclaim that Grand Theft Auto 5 received in 2013, Strauss Zelnick–the CEO of Rockstar Games’ parent company, Take-Two Interactive–is confident the sequel will receive high reviews. He also believes the glowing response to Rockstar’s previous games reflects well on the company itself.
“Rockstar’s scores are typically in the mid-90s, sometimes high 90s,” Zelnick said during an interview with The Game Business. “Not many games can say that. And that’s a reflection on Rockstar’s commitment to quality.”
Zelnick also acknowledged that great reviews still matter for games like GTA 6, but his fellow guest, Future content director Dan Dawkins, suggested that the gaming media landscape has greatly changed in the 13 years since GTA 5 was released.
“The media and cultural environment has completely transformed,” Dawkins said. “At that point in time … it was easier–not easy, but easier–to handpick the journalists you wanted to review that game ahead of time. I was one of those journalists. Social media is so noisy. And someone has to be first to say the thing you like is rubbish. Someone will do that. All narratives are available at once now, about everything. Rockstar are going to get, from the gates, some dissenting voices.”
Regardless, Zelnick remains bullish about GTA 6’s prospects, even in the face of rising costs for everyday needs.
“If you give people what they want in the entertainment business, they will come out for it,” Zelnick told IGN earlier this week. He also hinted that GTA 6 will have a “reasonable price,” but has yet to specify what it will be.
If GTA 6 hadn’t been delayed, it would have released earlier this week. Instead, it will launch on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 on November 19. Rockstar recently reaffirmed that release date in the face of another rumored delay.
