Key Takeaways
- Take-Two CEO comments on EA’s potential $55 billion sale to Saudi-led consortium
- GTA 6 officially delayed to November 2026 for additional polish
- Rockstar faces controversy over employee terminations in the UK
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has responded to Electronic Arts’ pending $55 billion acquisition by a Saudi Arabia-led investor group, expressing uncertainty about how the deal might reshape the gaming industry’s competitive landscape.
During Take-Two’s latest earnings briefing, Zelnick acknowledged that EA going private could potentially benefit his company but emphasized it’s too early to predict the outcome. “We’re always running scared around here,” Zelnick told Gamespot. “Arrogance is the enemy of continued success.”
Competitive Landscape Shifts
If the EA acquisition closes in 2026 as expected, Take-Two would become the last major publicly traded video game company in the American market. An analyst noted this significant shift during the earnings call.
Zelnick told The Game Business that EA’s potential privatization might give Take-Two “a bit of room from a competitive point of view” but cautioned against overestimating the advantages. “We wish our competitors well. A good business is well served by having powerful players, not just one powerful player,” he stated.
The CEO emphasized that regardless of market changes, Take-Two’s focus remains on creating “the very best entertainment on earth.”
GTA 6 Delayed to November 2026
Take-Two’s earnings report confirmed another delay for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6. The game’s release has been pushed from Fall 2025 to May 2026, and now to November 2026.
Rockstar Games apologized for the extended wait, explaining: “We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realize has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve.”
Employee Termination Controversy
Rockstar Games faces additional challenges following the termination of several UK employees. The company described the dismissals as related to “gross misconduct” involving leaked company information.
However, UK’s labour union has contested this explanation, claiming the employees were actually terminated for attempting to unionize.
