'Grand Theft Auto VI' Set for Fall 2025 Release

Speculation about the upcoming release of the popular video game was high ahead of Take-Two releasing its fourth quarter earnings on Thursday. The company earlier set a 2025 release for Grand Theft Auto VI, and with the update has narrowed the release date to autumn next year.

"We are highly confident that Rockstar Games will deliver an unparalleled entertainment experience, and our expectations for the commercial impact of the title continue to increase," Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told analysts in prepared remarks after unveiling his company's latest earnings.

The last entry in the franchise was Grand Theft Auto V, which was initially released in 2013. The online component to the game has had several updates through the years. As each update dropped, fans embraced the latest version of the game.

The latest updates to Grand Theft Auto Online included new vehicles, drag races, and holiday-themed items to mark Valentine's Day and the Lunar New Year holiday in China, Zelnick told the after-market analyst call.

Grand Theft Auto V has been a smash hit and become the second-best-selling video game of all time and the top-selling game of the last decade by total dollar sales. The franchise has also found itself in the crosshairs of controversy a number of times for its brutal violence and themes.

To date, Grand Theft Auto V has sold around 200 million video game units worldwide. "We're thrilled that more than a decade after their initial releases, Grand Theft Audio V and Grand Theft Auto Online grew their audience size by an incredible 35 percent and 23 percent, respectively, for the full year," Zelnick reported of ongoing momentum for sales of the franchise video game.

"We feel as though the market anticipation is at a fever pitch and, of course, expectations are very high everywhere in this boardroom and all around the world for the perfection of what Rockstar typically delivers," Zelnick said at one point during the analyst call after repeatedly being asked about the commercial prospects for Grand Theft Auto VI ahead of its release next year.

Take-Two CFO Lainie Goldstein added in her own comments to analysts that "confidence in the (Grand Theft Auto VI) title and its potential commercial impact continue to grow," without offering specific guidance on potential sales of the popular video game from Fall 2025.

Zelnick also discussed his video game publisher recently unveiling a deal with Embracer Group to acquire The Gearbox Entertainment Co., the maker of the Borderlands franchise, for $460 million in stock. "When the opportunity presented itself for us to acquire the company on terms that we felt were reasonable, we frankly jumped at the opportunity… And of course Borderlands just goes from strength to strength, so we're thrilled to have Gearbox in the family," he told analysts.

During the fourth quarter, Take-Two saw overall revenues fall 3 percent to $1.4 billion, against $1.45 billion the year-earlier period. The net loss came to $2.9 billion, or $17.02 per-share, compared to a loss of $610.3 million, or $3.62 per share, in the same period last year.

The latest quarter included a $2.18 billion goodwill impairment charge, a $304.3 million charge for acquisition costs and a $93.3 million one-time item for restructuring costs.