Strauss Zelnick

Take-Two reported $1.39 billion of first-quarter bookings and reiterated the $8.0 to $8.2 billion outlook and the November 19 date. On the call Zelnick said the five days of pre-orders in the quarter had been an exceptional start, unprecedented and astonishing, but so unprecedented that the company did not know how they would translate into sales and would not claim victory before it occurred.

Take-Two closed fiscal 2026 with record net bookings of $6.72 billion, about $750 million above its initial guidance, and told investors fiscal 2027 would set new records driven by the November 19 launch, guiding $8.0 to $8.2 billion. The guidance locked the date in financially: a third delay would push the year's centerpiece out of the fiscal year.

With Take-Two's second-quarter results, Rockstar moved the game another six months to Thursday, November 19, 2026, apologizing for adding to a long wait. Zelnick said Rockstar believed a limited amount of additional time was required for polish, and that fiscal 2027 would still set record bookings. The announcement came a day after Rockstar dismissed 30 to 40 UK staff it said had shared confidential information, which a union called union-busting.

Rockstar said the game was now set for May 26, 2026, apologized that it was later than expected and said it needed the extra time to deliver at the level of quality expected. Take-Two, which had built fiscal 2026 around the launch, said it fully supported the decision and reiterated sequential bookings growth for 2026 and 2027; the stock dropped 8 percent at the open.

With its fiscal 2024 results, Take-Two said Rockstar was targeting fall 2025 for GTA VI on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series, narrowing the calendar-2025 window from the trailer, and guided fiscal 2025 bookings of $5.55 to $5.65 billion. The quarter carried a $2.18 billion goodwill charge; Zelnick said the company was not prepared to be more specific than 'fall'.