GTA 6 is a sweeping tsunami waiting on the shore a culture-defining release poised to sell millions, even if it arrives with a whisper. Every gamer with even a passing interest has been left salivating over every glimpse of footage Rockstar has revealed so far. Yet, the man leading its parent company, Take-Two, appears largely uninterested in playing the game himself.
The revelation came during a recent appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box, where Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick stated that Rockstar is working hard to deliver “the best thing ever seen in entertainment.” When asked whether he had played GTA 6 early, Zelnick responded, “I’m not a gamer, not a lot—I don’t play video games, I’m not the consumer-in-chief.”
This candid admission might come across as heresy to devoted gamers who often scoff at out-of-touch gaming executives. But to his credit, Zelnick offered a reasonable explanation. He stated,
“My role is to attract, retain, and motivate the best talent in the business, and then getting out of their way. I think being the consumer-in-chief in the entertainment business as the CEO is probably a mistake.“
Needless to say, the 67-year-old veteran knows the industry inside and out, having held senior roles at 20th Century Fox, Crystal Dynamics, and CBS. He now heads Take-Two, which is gearing up to release AAA heavyweights like Borderlands 4 and Mafia: The Old Country all before unleashing the neon-soaked juggernaut that is GTA 6 in Q2 2026.
While Zelnick made it clear he won’t be diving into the game early, he noted that he still shares his “opinions pretty openly” with all the studios under Take-Two. So, while his leadership style isn’t entirely hands-off, he’s careful not to meddle with the development process a lesson a few other high-profile execs could stand to learn.
That said, what are you most hoping to see in GTA 6? Let us know in the comments below.
