GTA 6 leaks affect Take-Two emotionally but have no effect on the business

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has explained how the Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks affected the company, detailing that leaks affect the developers emotionally rather than on the business side. While game leaks can often be exciting for fans to discover and talk among themselves, they can also be a nightmare for the developers involved in the game’s development.

Zelnick spoke with IGN ahead of Take-Two’s earnings, claiming that the GTA 6 leaks will not impact the business side of the title, but it was more of an “emotional matter” for the company and the developers behind the game. Zelnick says that the GTA team was frustrated and upset with the leaks but suggested the business side of GTA 6 is going smoothly and will probably release without much issue.

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GTA 6 leaks hit the internet in September 2022, revealing a female protagonist, the map, the combat, and many other elements. The leaker turned out to be a 17-year-old kid who later got arrested by London Police. The game development is usually meticulously mapped out by the developers, marketers, and producers so that everything is planned and the game has the best chance of selling once it launches. When one aspect of a game’s development gets out of line, like something with a significant leak, that can have a domino effect on the rest of the production. Though Zelnick assured that the leaks didn’t affect Take-Two’s business, the company’s stock value fell after the leaks.

In the recent earning reports, Take-Two didn’t reach its $1.41 billion goal for the quarter, instead reporting only $1.38 billion in net bookings. The lower earnings are attributed to slow sales from new games like the well-received Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Take-Two intends to make some cost-cutting measures to save the company roughly $50 million annually, with Zelnick implying some jobs may be cut.