We're starting to zero in on the release of Grand Theft Auto 6. We've been given the run-around over the last year or so with reschedules and delays, but now we've got the November 19 release date—for consoles, we're still waiting for word on a PC version—and Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has assured fans that this is going to be the real one, for sure.
Now we know when GTA 6 will be in the hands of us mere mortals, Zelnick says the real question is how many of us do you think can score a sick day, and how many records will the game break.
Because Zelnick is so sure of GTA 6's impending success that he literally cannot fathom a world in which a gamer who can play it chooses not to. "If you have a console and you're over 17, just explain to me how it is that you've decided, 'No, no GTA 6, [I'm] not interested?'" Zelnick says in an interview with The Game Business (via GameSpot).
Article continues belowI'm not a betting man but I'd certainly say GTA 6 getting a shed load of players on release isn't a stretch by any means. However, I'm not so sure I'd extend it so far as to say every eligible gamer will, without a doubt, be playing GTA 6.
Some gamers just aren't interested in the world that GTA offers. You've got your hardcore political sim lovers, cosy gamers, and people who exclusively play The Sims. But even with that in mind Zelnick is unwavering in his assertation.
"It's not happening," Zelnick continues. "We stay engaged with the kind of entertainment we fell in love with at 17. Think about it, if I say to you, 'What kind of music do you like?' Like everyone else, you'll say, 'Oh, I listen to everything.' That just isn't true, incidentally. But if I say, 'Okay, you're by yourself, you have an hour, and all you're going to do in this hour is listen to music,' and [I say] that I want you to have the best possible time and the most relaxing time, you will listen to the music you listened to at the age of 17.
"If you fell in love with videogames at 17 and you're 40, guess what you still do? Play videogames. That is why the [gaming] cohort is continuing to grow as we age. I know [gaming investment advisor] Matthew Ball doesn't believe that, but our experience here at Take-Two is that we are benefitting from industry tailwinds."
Ok, sure. There'll be plenty of older gamers excited to play GTA 6 and rekindle their nostalgic love for games, but what about the young'uns? You know, those degenerate youths who weren't even alive for the release of most of the GTA games. Well, Zelnick isn't worried about that either.
"I think we're gonna have a lot of 17-year-olds playing GTA 6," Zelnick says. "I don't think there's any risk of [them] being like, 'Oh, I didn't play [GTA] 5, or 4, or 3, or 2, or 1, I'm not showing up [for 6].' To the contrary, I think we'll be able to engage every appropriate individual in GTA 6." So there you have it folks: In Zelnick's ideal world, every gamer will, undoubtedly, be playing GTA 6. I think it's going to be mandatory at this point.
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