We haven’t even got Grand Theft Auto VI yet and talk has turned to its presumed successor, GTA 7. In a new interview, the CEO of Take-Two (Rockstar’s parent company) brought up GTA 7 and addressed the protracted release cycle of Rockstar’s games.
The interview with Strauss Zelnick, which took place during the TD Cowen 52nd Annual Technology, Media & Telecom Conference last Thursday, covered a variety of topics including GTA Online, Rockstar’s transition to live-service games, and GTA VI on PC.
During the conversation, the host said that TD Cowen estimates that GTA V has made $10 billion since its launch more than ten-years ago. Zelnick explained: “The world is a different place than when we did launch GTA V… It was sort of neck and neck with Call of Duty at that point. Here we are now with V, 10-11 years later, having done what it has done, we’re a real outlier. We are the number one entertainment property of all time across all forms of entertainment.”
Zelnick then went on to neither confirm nor deny a PC release of GTA VI. “I do believe that the right strategy for our business is to be where the consumer is, and historically what this company has done is address consumers anywhere they are, on any platform that makes sense over time,” said the Take-Two CEO.
The host then shifted gears and asked Zelnick about the gap between Rockstar’s releases which has grown ever-wider overtime.
“If you look out, I know we’re not even at GTA VI yet, but thinking about…”
“GTA 7?” Zelnick interjects.
The host continues, “Well, I’m not gonna go there… I imagine a few things are probably true. One, Rockstar would probably not prefer to have another 12 year gap between major iterations of their franchise. Two, I imagine they have really big ambitions for the live-service component… And three, I imagine Rockstar probably has other ideas they’d like to work on beyond GTA for the next 10 years.”
“It’s important to bear in mind, it’s not like Rockstar put out GTA V and then sat on their hands for 12 years,” Zelnick explained. “We launched GTA Online, and that’s turned into this massive, you know, living breathing ecosystem which continues to perform and grow to this day. So, the label [Rockstar] totally transformed from a label that made big standalone monolithic games… to a label that actually is now in the live-services business.”
So, there we have it. For anyone hoping for a return to the Rockstar of old which released GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, Red Dead Revolver, Manhunt, Bully, Manhunt 2, and GTA VI within a seven-year span, it looks like those days are well and truly over.
It’s worth noting that the length of time between mainline Grand Theft Auto releases has roughly doubled with each game since 2001’s GTA III. If that remains consistent (as Rockstar’s shift to live-services implies), fans can expect Grand Theft Auto VII around 2049… But, who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky and see it in 2040?
What are your thoughts about Zelnick’s GTA 7 comments? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
