Take-Two's Zelnick says GTA 6 still needs marketing: "awareness is one thing"

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said GTA 6 still needs marketing even though almost everyone has heard of it, GamesRadar+ reported on September 17. He made the comments in a conversation at GamesBeat's Insider event, and the report did not give the date of that event.

Zelnick said investors had raised the point with him. As he recalled it, the question was: "Why are you wasting money on marketing?" His answer was that with broad entertainment properties "you don't have a choice." He added: "awareness is one thing; enthusiasm is another thing."

He described the goal for GTA 6 and any other title as taking awareness and turning it into excitement, and turning a lack of awareness into awareness. Drawing on his time in the film business, he said that if a product is no good, people will not notice even heavy marketing. He also said that great marketing can create more excitement, while terrible marketing can turn people off.

GamesRadar+ set the comments beside the numbers for GTA 6: An Extended Look, the showcase that arrived on Netflix in August. The outlet said it drew 31.1 million views on Netflix in its first four days and about 27 million on YouTube at the time of writing. GamesRadar+ wondered how many of those viewers were new to the game, assumed most already knew it, and argued that did not make the marketing a waste.

Zelnick gave no new details about the game, its marketing plans or sales expectations in the comments GamesRadar+ covered. GTA 6 was due on November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.