Take-Two CEO’s Response To Second GTA 6 Delay: “Please Tell Me You’re Kidding”
Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch on November 19, 2026, following two development delays that pushed the title from its original 2025 release window. The game was first delayed to May 2026, then again to November 2026, as Rockstar determined additional time was necessary to deliver the full scope of the project.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick initially reacted with skepticism to the second delay announcement. When Jennifer Kolbe, head of publishing at Take-Two, informed him of the May-to-November postponement, Zelnick reportedly responded with disbelief: “You’re kidding. Please tell me you’re kidding.” However, after discussing the reasoning behind the delay, he understood and approved the decision. Kolbe acknowledged Zelnick’s reasonableness, noting that other executives might have refused to allow further postponement.
Rockstar’s head of development, Phil Hooker, clarified that neither delay stemmed from major problems or dramatic circumstances. Instead, the postponements resulted from creative and technical elements requiring more time than initially anticipated to align with the team’s vision. Hooker emphasized that game development at this scale is an iterative process where “the game is never fully settled,” with refinements continuing through final development stages.
The delays reflect Rockstar’s philosophy of prioritizing the game’s quality and creative ambition over arbitrary deadlines, as the studio approaches the launch of one of gaming’s most anticipated titles.