It’s been thirteen years since the last Grand Theft Auto installment, and fans are gearing up for what analysts say could be the biggest video game launch of all time.
The latest game in the franchise, “Grand Theft Auto VI,” is scheduled to launch on November 19, after Take-Two Interactive Rockstar Games has delayed its launch twice. Roth analyst Eric Handler estimated that the game’s creator spent more than $1 billion developing the game.
Sales figures could end up breaking records. Sensor Tower has estimated more than 12 million pre-orders through November 13, and Morgan Stanley predicts the game could sell 40 million copies by March 2027.
Beyond launch week, the Grand Theft Auto, or GTA, franchise has a history of enduring engagement spanning many years. Even 13 years after its launch, “Grand Theft Auto V” is one of the five most-watched games on Twitch this year.
In anticipation of the game’s launch, investors have taken note: the title of Take-two has more than doubled since the start of 2023.
The release is considered not only a monumental moment for developer Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two, but also a huge opportunity for the entire video game industry.
Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two, responded to the request in a recent interview with Squawk Box, saying, “We tend to be pretty judicious when we talk about this stuff, but our expectations were high and they’ve been far exceeded so far.” »
Streamers and creators across the digital ecosystem see this launch as a huge opportunity to drive engagement with their content and fuel subscriber and ad revenue growth.
A creator named Deansocool, who has 375,000 followers on Twitch and also posts content on YouTube and other social platforms, said that “GTA VI” will allow creators to expand their audience and provide a huge opportunity for new streamers to make a name for themselves.
“This game is going to make a lot of millionaires in 2027. A lot of creators need to understand that this is it. It’s this golden ticket. It’s a hundred times bigger than Fortnite,” he said in an interview with CNBC.
“This goes beyond this launch moment and is a lasting opportunity for them to grow, build, engage and retain their audience and ultimately support themselves by making money,” said Mike Minton, Chief Product Officer at Twitch.
GTA PTO
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The release of Grand Theft Auto’s latest title could attract so much attention that its impact will be felt beyond the gaming world.
BambooHR, a workplace leave platform, reported that requests for paid time off for the “GTA VI” release date are nearly 13% higher than the equivalent days in 2024 and 2025. It also noted that nearly one in five workers are considering taking time off for the launch.
PwC released a report looking at all the different sectors of the economy that could benefit from – or suffer from – the launch of gaming. The company predicted that food delivery companies could see an increase in squatting players and that Miami tourism could benefit. PwC noted that foreign visitors to Seoul’s Bukchon Hanok Village, which inspired a location in the hit film Netflix of the KPop movie Demon Hunters, increased 118% in the four weeks after the movie’s release.
Music streaming is also expected to boom. Tom Petty’s “Love Is a Long Road,” which appeared in the first “GTA VI” trailer in December 2023, reportedly saw Spotify streams increase by more than 37,000%.
On the other hand, gaming could distract from movies and streaming entertainment.
“How are people spending Thanksgiving? There’s a lot of sports on TV, but you also have a pretty solid demographic that’s going to be focused on ‘GTA VI,'” said Bart Spiegel, who leads PwC’s global entertainment and media practice. “You’re going to start taking attention away from video streaming platforms.
“I think you’re going to hear a lot of calls from analysts in the first quarter of 2027 saying, ‘Hey, look, some of our numbers were down because of this game coming out,'” Spiegel added.
Rockstar Games declined CNBC’s request for an interview. Watch the video above to learn more.
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