"Creative vision with no limitations" - Take Two boss opens up about GTA 6 release delay

There is no doubt that GTA 6 is going to be the biggest ever gaming release of all time. After more than a decade, we are finally getting a Grand Theft Auto installment. However the path wasn’t that simple. The game was first announced in 2022, with a trailer revealing the gameplay and release window in December of 2023.


After more than 500 days from that, fans finally got the actual release date, but it was hit with an unexpected delay. Initially the game was slated to be released in the fall of 2025, but now it’s going to be released on May 26, 2026. However, Take-Two CEO feels this delay was necessary.


Take-Two CEO explains the reason behind GTA 6’s delay

When Rockstar first revealed the actual release date, many fans became disappointed with the fact that the game was delayed further. But according to Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two (parent company of Rockstar Games), this delay was much needed.


In an interview with IGN, Zelnick explained that as we are getting closer to completion of a “title that’s seeking perfection,” the need for “continued polish” becomes even clearer. The CEO himself is tagging GTA 6 as a perfect title, thus it proves Rockstar Games isn’t leaving any stones unturned to prove Zelnick’s words right, and now the delay feels more sensible.


According to Zelnick, this delay was actually “an opportunity with a small amount of incremental time” and they wanted to make the most out of it to make sure the developer gets its “creative vision with no limitations.”


This delay might be beneficial for GTA 6 and Rockstar Games as a whole, in shaping up the future of this highly anticipated game more securely. However, this delay is actually a huge blow for Take-Two. But it didn’t affect Zelnick as he still feels really good about the next projects of the company, like Mafia: The Old Country, Borderlands 4, and many more.


Zelnick was asked about the certainty of the 26th May, 2026 release date of GTA 6 and he sounded pretty confident when answering. He stated that as Take-Two has finally put an exact release date on the game, the company will be fulfilling that goal, at least that’s what the company’s past record states.


There was another instance when IGN asked Zelnick about the certainty of the initial release window in February this year, when everybody thought GTA 6 was going to be released in 2025. Zelnick looked confident at that time too, but as mentioned earlier, slipping up a specific release date is something Rockstar has never done, and hopely they maintain this track record in future too, especially for GTA 6.


Read More: GTA 6 launch delayed: How other game publishers are trying to capitalise on the launch window