Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick, in an interview with Bloomberg, called the creation of GTA 6 "a high-stakes game only for true professionals," hinting that there is no place for the faint-hearted in such production.
Zelnick admitted that development costs continue to rise. According to him, even expectations around AI have not yet led to cost reductions. But Take-Two management is willing to take this risk because Rockstar Games' goal is to release "the highest quality entertainment on Earth."
The pressure on the team was enormous due to the success of the previous installment. By May 2026, Grand Theft Auto V had sold over 225 million copies, and the game's online mode still generates about $1.3 million in revenue per day.
Zelnick also stated that he is "a billion times more scared" of the GTA VI release than of any other project launch. But he added that in the entertainment industry, the moment you stop feeling fear means it's time to change professions.