Zelnick on why GTA 6 doesn't have early access: 'we could have made any number of pricing choices'

So Take-Two had their earnings call and someone finally asked about the early access thing. A lot of us were wondering why GTA 6 isn't getting the same treatment as NBA 2K or other big games where you pay extra to play a few days early. Strauss Zelnick basically said it was Rockstar's call, not Take-Two's, and they decided against it because they think the game is already a steal at $80.

He said they could have easily slapped on a higher price or added early access as a perk for the Ultimate Edition, but Rockstar wanted to keep it simple. Two editions, standard and ultimate, and everyone gets in on November 19. No staggered launch. He kept going back to that 'value' word, saying the game is packed with so much that they don't need to nickel and dime people just to play a few days sooner.

Zelnick also mentioned pre-orders are through the roof, but he's being careful about it because people can cancel anytime before launch. Still, they're expecting GTA 6 to drive a massive revenue bump this fiscal year.

Honestly, I'm not surprised. Rockstar has never done early access for a mainline GTA, and with the hype around this one they don't need to. The extended look on Netflix August 27 will probably send pre-orders even higher. Do you think they'll ever cave and add early access for a future title, or is this just how Rockstar operates?

Source: GameSpot · Curated content.

Two editions. $79.99 standard, $99.99 ultimate. Pre-orders opened June 25 with the Vintage Vice City Pack as the early-buy incentive. No staggered launch. Everyone's in on November 19. Two trailers are out, December 2023 and May 2025. The August 27 extended look hits Netflix at 3pm ET and YouTube at 9pm ET. Zelnick talks about value, but it's simpler than that. They already raised the floor price and locked a pre-order exclusive. Early access is just another SKU to track. Pre-orders are high enough without it.

Fine by me. I'd rather they get the LSPD dispatch logic and felony stop mechanics right than ship early for a premium.