Grand Theft Auto 6 is expected to be one of the biggest releases in modern video-game history, with analysts hoping it can energise a console market that has stagnated in recent years. Players who have stayed with older hardware will need a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S to play it.
That makes the rising cost of current-generation consoles a significant concern. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledges that higher hardware prices are undesirable, but he does not currently expect them to undermine the game’s launch.
Take-Two sees GTA 6 demand outweighing hardware concerns
Speaking to investors during Take-Two’s earnings call on August 7, Zelnick said the company would prefer lower console prices because cheaper hardware would put more systems in players’ hands. However, he does not believe the current pricing environment will act as a barrier to the game’s performance.
I don’t think it will slow us down any because, you know… we believe we’re delivering experiences that people want. However, a lower price point for hardware would be a good thing because there’d be more hardware in people’s hands. So I cannot argue this is a positive, but equally we don’t see it as a headwind either.
He expressed a similar view in an interview with Bloomberg, saying he would be happier if PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S prices were not increasing. Zelnick also questioned whether the artificial-intelligence-driven demand for memory, sometimes described as “RAMageddon”, would create a console shortage during the holiday period when GTA 6 is scheduled to launch on November 19.
“We believe the install base around launch time will reflect our original expectations,” Zelnick told Bloomberg. “The only thing that will cause me to be concerned, not worried, but concerned, would be if we somehow felt that number was going to be smaller than we thought. But that isn’t the case.”
Console supply remains the key question
Sony has a major marketing agreement with Rockstar Games for the launch of GTA 6. The company previously told investors that it had enough RAM to produce the expected number of PS5 consoles through early 2027.
If the least expensive current-generation console remains below $700, the source material suggests many players will still do what is necessary to access the new open-world game. It could also remain the most affordable way to play a new GTA title in decades, despite the broader increase in hardware costs.
For more coverage of the wider arcade and gaming industry, explore RETROCADE’s arcade videos and learn how dedicated hardware compares with today’s console setup through the arcade machine buying guide.
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