Rockstar Jokes About Employee Leave Requests While Denying GTA6 Delay, Maintaining 2026 November Release
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick clarified at the iicon conference that GTA6 will not be delayed to 2027, remaining on track for a November 19, 2026 release. Addressing recent persistent delay rumors, Zelnick proactively responded and jokingly mentioned anticipating many employees finding excuses to take leave on the release day.
Rockstar has a history of delaying many of its past titles, leading many players to remain skeptical about GTA6's on-time launch. Combined with the CEO's latest statement, the possibility of a short-term delay is now extremely low.
As the release date approaches and pre-orders are about to begin, the official GTA6 will announce the final price. Several industry analysts previously speculated that the game could be priced as high as $100.
Zelnick did not reveal specific numbers, but clearly stated that GTA6's pricing will not deviate from the mainstream range of current AAA titles. He explained that companies need to create value for users, and pricing should be reasonable and affordable, far lower than the experience the product itself delivers. Consumers look at the balance between quality and price, and the team will ensure the game is of high quality while providing a fair and reasonable price.
From existing leaks and patent information, GTA6's overall quality does indeed provide confidence to support a higher price. The game's open world has been comprehensively upgraded, featuring next-generation new technologies such as procedural dynamic shattered glass. At the same time, the project has an unlimited development budget, allowing the development team to polish the content without restrictions.
The official goal is for GTA6 to break industry limits, not only leading the open-world genre but also raising the production standards of the entire gaming industry.
In addition, Rockstar previously experienced a hacking incident, and officials later confirmed that the data breach did not have any substantial impact on development work, game projects, or ordinary players.