Zelnick says rising console prices won't hurt GTA 6, but admits it's 'good for no one'

As PS5 and Xbox prices endlessly balloon, Take-Two CEO says rising console costs are good for no one, but won't hurt the company as GTA 6 approaches

Caught this GamesRadar piece where Strauss Zelnick got asked about the PS5 and Xbox price hikes that keep popping up. You know the ones, feels like every year there's a new SKU that costs more. He didn't sugarcoat it, said rising console costs are "good for no one." But then he pivoted hard, basically saying Take-Two isn't losing sleep over it with GTA 6 on the way.

His quote: "I don't think it will slow us down any because... we're delivering experiences that people want."

I get the logic. GTA 6 is the kind of game that moves consoles. People will upgrade, trade in, do whatever to play it. But it still feels a little off when the game itself is $80 and the hardware keeps creeping up. We're already seeing PS5 Pro bundles and Xbox Series X refreshes that aren't exactly cheap. And that's before you factor in the digital-only push, no disc drive on some models, so you're locked into storefront pricing.

Zelnick's probably right that it won't dent their bottom line. Pre-orders have been nuts since June. But for the rest of us, it's another reminder that gaming is getting expensive fast. I'm just wondering how many people are waiting until the last minute to grab a console, hoping for a holiday bundle or something. Are you holding off on a new console until closer to November 19, or is the hype too real to wait?

Source: GamesRadar+ · Curated content.