We’ll all be streaming our games in about “three years”, says Take-Two boss, raising some post-release questions about GTA 6

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has predicted that the video game industry will transition to “commercial streaming mode” within three years, positioning cloud gaming as a solution to the current hardware pricing crisis. During the company’s latest earnings call with investors, Zelnick suggested that low-latency streaming technology will soon become viable and widespread enough to make dedicated gaming hardware less essential for players.

The prediction comes amid an industry-wide struggle with rising hardware costs. Sony has discontinued physical disc manufacturing to pivot to digital distribution, while both Sony and Microsoft have increased console prices, with the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S now significantly more expensive than at launch. Zelnick acknowledged these challenges but expressed confidence that streaming could democratize gaming by enabling devices that “weren’t game machines before” to function as gaming platforms through cloud-based technology.

However, Zelnick emphasized an important caveat: for streaming to achieve meaningful adoption, the technology must deliver performance equivalent to current consoles. He specifically cited Grand Theft Auto 6 as a benchmark—streaming infrastructure would need to run graphically demanding games like GTA 6 just as reliably and smoothly as traditional hardware to gain consumer acceptance.

The statement reflects industry-wide optimism about cloud gaming’s potential, though the technology still faces technical hurdles including latency, infrastructure requirements, and internet connectivity limitations. Zelnick’s three-year timeline suggests Take-Two believes rapid technological advancement will overcome these obstacles, positioning streaming as a transformative shift in how players access games.

We’ll all be streaming our games in about “three years”, says Take-Two boss, raising some post-release questions about GTA 6

Sources