Grand Theft Auto VI is poised to be one of the biggest game launches when the open-world crime thriller finally debuts on 19 November. The game is all set to be arriving on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S but PC gamers would have to wait until at least next year for its arrival.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Rockstar Games’ parent company Take-Two Interactive, has shed light on the decision to skip a simultaneous PC release for its most popular title.
Why is GTA VI not arriving on PC?
In an interview during the Interactive Innovation Conference in Las Vegas, Zelnick explained that the staggered release strategy is about prioritizing the traditional console audience.
“Rockstar always starts on console because I think with regard to a release like that you’re judged by serving the core,” Zelnick said. “Like really serving the core consumer. If your core consumer isn’t there, if they’re not served first and best, you kind of don’t hit your other consumers”.
“At a lower level, that’s true of Take-Two’s entire business plan on the console side…Development costs have gone up and up. And we really do aim to deliver the highest quality entertainment on Earth. And that is costly. And AI influence is not withstanding. We haven’t seen those costs decline yet. Maybe we will. Maybe we won’t.” he added
Zelnick also denied rumors that the PC delay of GTA VI was the result of a marketing deal with PlayStation maker Sony. The console exclusivity window (a set period where a game is restricted to specific hardware platforms before expanding to others like PC) is simply how Rockstar has historically operated, according to the CEO
“I mean, historically Rockstar’s gone to console first.” Zelnick noted
Zelnick also acknowledged the massive shift in player habits, noting that when he joined Take-Two in 2007, PC sales accounted for roughly 5% of a major title’s revenue. Today, the PC market can make up an outsized 45% to 50% of sales for a blockbuster game like GTA VI
Take-Two CEO on pressure about GTA VI debut:
Set in a fictional version of Miami, GTA VI has been in development for over eight years and has become one of the most expensive video game ever produced. The expetations of success from the game are astronomical after Take Two already pushed the release window twice and released two trailers that have more than half a billion views on YouTube combined.
Zelnick noted that massive budgets are an industry reality for top-tier entertainment, stating, “That’s a high-stakes game for big boys only, and I’m cool with it”
“I think here our goal is to deliver to consumers something that’s never been experienced before,” Zelnick said on the expectations from the game, “Being on the sidelines but pretty close to the front of the sidelines is very, very exciting. And terrifying. Because the expectations are so high.”
