GTA VI has a marketing deal in place with PlayStation, and is coming to consoles before PC in order to serve the “core” audience “first and best.”
During a recent interview with Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick mentioned that the window of console exclusivity for GTA VI isn’t related to the company’s marketing deal with PlayStation, and that the decision was made in order to serve the “core” audience “first and best.”
“No,” said Zelnick when asked if the exclusivity window was tied to Sony. “I mean, historically Rockstar’s gone to console first…because I think with regard to a release like that you’re judged by serving the core. Like really serving the core consumer. If your core consumer isn’t there, if they’re not served first and best, you kind of don’t hit your other consumers.”
Development on the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series has spanned more than eight years, involving thousands of developers and a budget widely believed to exceed most AAA titles. Zelnick acknowledged the immense pressure tied to such expectations: “I think here our goal is to deliver to consumers something that’s never been experienced before,” he stated. “Being on the sidelines but pretty close to the front of the sidelines is very, very exciting. And terrifying. Because the expectations are so high.”
Despite the growing importance of the PC market, where Zelnick noted a major title can generate “45, 50% of the sales,” Take-Two is sticking to its console-first rollout. “We’ll see how it works out,” he said.
Given the details revealed on GTA Online player base and revenue split across platforms via the recent data breach of Rockstar Games’ company information by known hacker group ShinyHunter, Take-Two Interactive’s decision to treat console users, PlayStation in particular, as the series’ core audience hardly comes as surprising. More details here.
