Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick stated in May 2026 that many developers, including former Rockstar employees, have attempted to create games as successful as the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series but have so far failed [1, 2, 3, 4]. "Making hits seems to get harder and harder and harder as entertainment industries mature," Zelnick said. "The folks at Rockstar seem to be able to make these massive hits, and lots and lots, including former Rockstar employees. And so far, they haven't been able to do it" [1].
Zelnick attributed GTA's enduring success partly to Rockstar's refusal to adopt annual release schedules. He said the company is "not a cadence-driven business," unlike some competitors that push yearly launches, which can hurt quality. Rockstar allows long development cycles, maintaining high standards and keeping player anticipation intense [1, 5, 6]. The longtime commercial success of GTA V exemplifies this approach. Released 13 years ago, GTA V continues to sell about 5 million copies every quarter and stays fresh through ongoing quality patches and GTA Online expansions [4].
Responding to questions about the extended development of GTA 6, Zelnick denied any deliberate delay. He said the game's scale and technical complexity inevitably stretch development timelines in modern AAA games [6]. He also said Rockstar does not expect to conduct major layoffs after GTA 6's release due to ongoing live service support and updates planned post-launch [6].
Zelnick praised creativity as the key to hit-making, saying technology alone, including AI advances, will not radically alter success in gaming. "We're always running scared. But it won't be technology that changes the game. What'll change is that some extraordinarily creative individual or individuals will show up and do something astonishing," he said [1, 3]. He stressed the importance of attracting exceptionally creative talent to Take-Two, or else the company would fail [1, 4].
Build a Rocket Boy, a studio founded by former Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies, released the highly anticipated game MindsEye in 2025. The title was poorly reviewed and widely viewed as a failed attempt to replicate GTA's success [1, 2, 3, 4]. Benzies left Rockstar North amid legal disputes starting in 2016, with a confidential settlement reached in 2019 [2].
Take-Two has scheduled the release of GTA 6 for November 19, 2026, in both physical and digital formats [7]. The company plans to enforce strict review processes to avoid leaks and protect review scores. Rockstar has historically scored games in the 95-98 range on Metacritic due to rigorous quality control, and this remains a key metric for GTA 6's success [7]. To limit leaks, Rockstar may restrict early review copies to select press invited to controlled locations rather than distributing widely in advance [7].
