The console exclusivity of the next entry in Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto series, GTA VI, appears logical when viewing Take-Two’s financial performance.
In an investor presentation on the occasion of its third-quarter fiscal year earnings call, Take-Two Interactive revealed that mobile platforms are responsible for 52% of its revenue in fiscal year 2024, while consoles contribute towards 40%. Lastly, PC and other platforms are responsible for just 8% of the company’s annual earnings. This includes revenue generated by its major money-maker, GTA Online. As such, it isn’t difficult to see why console exclusivity is favored by the company for the launch of GTA VI.
With Grand Theft Auto V surpassing sales of 210 million units worldwide and GTA Online maintaining strong engagement, the Fall 2025 release of Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to further cement the franchise’s legacy. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick mentioned that the franchise remains an industry benchmark and a key driver of the company’s growth.
According to Take-Two Interactive’s worldwide estimates as of November, 2024, the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles have amassed combined sales of more than 94 million units. We already know from data shared by Sony Interactive Entertainment that it has shipped 65.6 million PS5s, as of September 30, 2024. Based on this, the estimated sell-through figure for the console by the end of November, 2024, would be around 67 to 69 million units, putting combined sales of the Xbox Series consoles at around 25 to 27 million units.
It’s hardly surprising, then, that PlayStation is responsible for the lion’s share of console engagement associated with GTA Online. A few months ago, Gamesindustry.biz’s Christopher Dring had reported that, as per market analysts Ampere, there are over 20 million active users in GTA V’s online mode, out of which the most active platform for the game “by some distance” is PlayStation, specifically the PS4. Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games are undoubtedly looking to repeat this success with the online component of GTA VI on PS5.
The PC market continues to see overall growth, but this hasn’t translated to an increase in revenue generated on the platform by Take-Two Interactive. This may be due to a lack of Recurrent Consumer Spending (RCS) on the platform. GTA Online is one of the two largest individual contributors to RCS among the publisher’s portfolio. It’s no secret that cheating is rampant in the PC version of GTA Online, with hacking tools readily available for players to look up. This results in hackers simply gaining in-game currency, Shark Cash, by using cheats instead of having to spend real money on Shark Cash Cards. None of this is possible in the console versions of GTA Online, where players actively make purchases. As a matter of fact, Shark Cash Cards are among the most popular items on both the PlayStation and Xbox digital stores.
Last year, Mike York, former GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 animator at Rockstar Games, had explained that a PC port of GTA VI will come later and not at launch because the developer wants to prioritize what sells most, as PlayStation has consistently been the top seller for prior entries. The revenue split among platforms seen in the company’s recent investor presentation confirms his statement.
Eventually, GTA VI and its online component will find their way to PC a year or so later. However, it’s clear that consoles (primarily PlayStation) are Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Game’ primary focus for the game’s launch, where engagement tied to every copy sold will lead to further revenue via RCS.
