Take-Two says GTA VI pre-orders are at record levels
The publisher's sales fell 18 % last quarter, but it is keeping its full-year forecast of up to $8.2 billion on the strength of the Nov. 19 launch.
Take-Two Interactive said pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI are "continuing to reach unprecedented levels." The claim came in the earnings release for its fiscal second quarter, published Monday, ten days before the game ships. The publisher gave no unit count.
CEO Strauss Zelnick spoke of "an historic year." Take-Two is holding its forecast for net bookings, its measure of digital and physical sales, at $8 billion to $8.2 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2027.
The quarter itself, which ended Sept. 30, was weaker than a year ago:
| Measure | This quarter | A year ago |
|---|---|---|
| Net bookings (millions of dollars) | 1,600 | 1,960 |
| GAAP net revenue (millions of dollars) | 1,500 | 1,770 |
| GAAP net loss (millions of dollars) | 54.0 | 133.9 |
Fuente: Take-Two Interactive
Net bookings fell 18 %. The net loss came to $0.29 a share, against $0.73 a year earlier. Recurrent consumer spending, such as in-game purchases, made up 81 % of the total, though those net bookings slipped 9 %. The company named NBA 2K and the Grand Theft Auto series among its top contributors, along with Borderlands and the mobile games Toon Blast, Match Factory! and Empires & Puzzles.
Any reservation figure making the rounds is an outside estimate; Take-Two has not given one. What is clear is that the company is leaning on this Rockstar Games release for the rest of its fiscal year, while still running a loss.
GTA VI launches Nov. 19, and pre-loading has been open since Nov. 10.
