GTA VI Owner Takes a Shot at Cyberpunk 2077, Recalls the RPG’s Disastrous Launch, and Believes Delaying Rockstar’s Game Was the Best Decision

In an alternate reality, Grand Theft Auto VI would have launched late last year. We know that never happened, as the game suffered two delays that pushed its release to November 2026. Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, acknowledges that changing the schedule was a difficult decision, but ultimately believes it was the best thing they could have done.

To make his point, the executive behind Rockstar Games’ parent company brought up a particularly infamous case: Cyberpunk 2077, which had one of the most disastrous and controversial launches of the decade.

Take-Two boss defends GTA VI’s delays

GTA VI was first revealed to the world in December 2023, when its release was confirmed for sometime in fall 2025. Unfortunately, the developers later announced the first delay, pushing its debut to May of the following year.

Just when everything seemed to be going smoothly, Rockstar Games once again took to social media to announce a second change to the release date. Grand Theft Auto VI will now arrive in stores on November 19, and everything seems to indicate that nothing and no one will prevent it from launching on the scheduled date.

In mid-October, studio head Jennifer Kolbe spoke with Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier and recalled the moment she had to inform Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, about the second delay. “I think he said something like, ‘I can’t believe it! Please tell me you’re joking!’”

In the end, Jennifer Kolbe described the head of Rockstar Games’ parent company as a “very reasonable” person, which is why they were able to secure the extra time needed to finish development.

The topic came up during a recent interview between Strauss Zelnick and the Wall Street Journal. The Take-Two Interactive executive recalled that being told the release date needed to be pushed back was not ideal, but ultimately says he approved the decision to ensure the quality of the product.

“Your mission is to create the best entertainment on Earth, and part of your three-pillar strategy is to be the most creative. And sometimes you have to make those costly and uncomfortable decisions in service of that mission and those goals.”

GTA VI suffered two delays, changing its official release date twice.

Strauss Zelnick takes an indirect shot at Cyberpunk 2077

While discussing the matter, Strauss Zelnick pointed out that many companies have an excellent vision, a well-defined strategy, and an established culture, but sometimes end up doing things that contradict all of those principles. He explained that moments like these put everyone involved to the test.

The Take-Two Interactive CEO acknowledged that some developers choose to stick to an established release schedule at all costs, leading them to launch games even when they are not ready. Although he did not mention any names, he clearly took a shot at Cyberpunk 2077.

“I’m not going to blame any competitor, but if you know anything about the videogame industry, you’ll remember that in recent years there was a high-profile launch that fell into this category: they released it, and then had to pull it from the market after launch because it didn’t work,” Strauss Zelnick commented.

Of course, several other games have also had to be removed from digital storefronts after launching with serious problems. One of the most recent examples is SEGA’s Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition. However, to be fair, CD Projekt RED’s RPG is one of the few cases that fit the category of “high-profile launches.”

Cyberpunk 2077 debuted in 2020, but all of its versions suffered from technical issues, bugs, and other errors that hurt the experience. As a result, the game was removed from Sony’s PlayStation Store, and the developers offered refunds. The controversy also led to a class-action lawsuit against CD Projekt RED.

Rockstar Games’ owners want to avoid a controversy like the one surrounding Cyberpunk 2077 with GTA VI.

But tell us, do you think delaying the release was the right decision? Let us know in the comments.

Follow this link to find more information about Grand Theft Auto VI.