Take-Two Says GTA 6 Pre-Orders Are "Far Above" Expectations as NBA 2K27 Misses Forecast
Take-Two says GTA 6 pre-orders are tracking far above its expectations, yet it only nudged its yearly forecast because the launch is just 10 days away.
Take-Two Interactive has said pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI are running well ahead of what it first expected. It also admitted that its other big recent release, NBA 2K27, fell short of its own forecast, according to Video Games Chronicle.
What Take-Two said about GTA 6
In its statement, the publisher said pre-orders for the game "are tracking far above our initial expectations." It added that "the numbers will speak for themselves soon enough."
Take-Two did not share any pre-order figures. Zelnick told GamesIndustry.biz the company cannot disclose the numbers. He said its earlier expectations were in line with its guidance, and that pre-orders are now "far exceeding" them.
Why the forecast barely moved
Despite the upbeat wording, Take-Two changed its full-year outlook only modestly. The range went from $7.9–$8.1 billion to $7.98–$8.18 billion.
Zelnick explained that the company is holding off on a bigger revision because the launch is so close. "We're maintaining our guidance, because the release is only 10 days away and we'll know a lot more after the release," he said.
Asked whether keeping guidance around $8 billion meant Take-Two wasn't expecting an unusually big launch, he repeated that it simply isn't updating numbers this near to release. He said pre-orders are "far exceeding our expectations."
NBA 2K27 and live services
NBA 2K27 delivered what Take-Two called "the second highest net bookings performance in the history of the series." It has sold more than 4 million copies since its early September release. Even so, the publisher said it was below its forecast for the period.
In the same interview, Zelnick was asked whether the wave of live service games has passed. He said calling live services a problem is "too broad a brush." He noted that free-to-play titles are "very challenging" but that live services are "extremely successful."
According to Zelnick, the bulk of Take-Two's business comes from live services and recurrent consumer spend. That includes GTA Online, NBA 2K and WWE 2K. "The business basically runs on live services, punctuated by, we hope, some huge releases," he said.
What it means for you
If you have pre-ordered GTA 6, nothing in Take-Two's comments points to a change of plans. Zelnick describes the release as 10 days away at the time of the interview and talks about what happens after launch. The comments give no pre-order numbers, so treat "far above expectations" as the company's own description. Rockstar's official channels remain the place to check for launch details.
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Quick answers
Did Take-Two reveal how many GTA 6 pre-orders there are?
No. Zelnick said the company cannot disclose the numbers. It only said they are far above its initial expectations.
Why didn't Take-Two raise its forecast more?
Zelnick said the company isn't updating its numbers right now because the release is so close. He said it will know much more after launch.
How did NBA 2K27 perform?
It sold more than 4 million copies and had the second-highest net bookings in the series' history. Take-Two still said it was below its forecast for the period.
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