Take-Two CEO Affirms Support for Legacy Games Amid GTA Online's Future Uncertainty Post-GTA 6

The question on the minds of many GTA Online players as Grand Theft Auto 6's fall 2025 release date approaches is: What will happen to GTA Online? Since its announcement, GTA 6 has sparked curiosity and concern among the dedicated community of GTA Online players. This uncertainty stems from the massive success and ongoing profitability of GTA Online, a live service game that has continued to attract players well over a decade after its initial launch. Rockstar's focus on GTA Online over story DLC for Grand Theft Auto 5 has been a point of contention among some fans, but the looming release of GTA 6 presents a more immediate concern.

With GTA 6 on the horizon, expectations are high for a new and improved version of GTA Online. Whether it's called GTA Online 2 or retains the original name, players are worried that their time, effort, and money invested in the current version might be left behind. This concern is particularly poignant as we approach early 2025, with just months to go before the potential launch of the new GTA Online. In a recent interview with IGN, Take-Two's CEO Strauss Zelnick addressed these concerns in light of the company's third-quarter financial report.

While Zelnick did not provide specifics on any new GTA Online due to no official announcement, he discussed Take-Two's approach with NBA 2K Online. Launched in 2012 and followed by NBA 2K Online 2 in 2017, both versions continued to be supported simultaneously in the Asian market, allowing fans to keep playing the original without being left behind. Zelnick's comments suggest a similar strategy could be in place for GTA Online.

"I'm going to speak theoretically only because I'm not going to talk about a particular project when an announcement hasn't been made," Zelnick explained. "But generally speaking, we support our properties when the consumers are involved with those titles. As an example, we launched NBA 2K Online in China, I think originally in 2012 if I'm not mistaken. And then we launched NBA 2K Online 2 in China in 2017. If I'm not mistaken. We did not sunset Online 1. They both are still in the market and they serve consumers and they're alive and we have this massive audience."

This statement hints at the possibility that if a GTA Online 2 is released, the original GTA Online might continue to be supported as long as there is a community interested in playing it. Zelnick's emphasis on supporting legacy titles when there's an engaged community provides hope for current GTA Online players.

While details about GTA 6 remain scarce beyond the first trailer and a release window, with potential competition from Borderlands 4's September release, Rockstar will need to provide more information soon. In the meantime, players can find reassurance in Zelnick's comments, which suggest that skipping PC for GTA 6's launch might not be the only concern they have to navigate.