Grand Theft VI does not mean the end of GTA V, says Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick

The launch of a Grand Theft VI does not mean that it will be an end of Grand Theft Auto V, says CEO of Take-Two Strauss Zelnick. Take-Two owns Rockstar Games, publishers of the video game Grand Theft Auto (GTA). While Zelnick refused to confirm whether a GTA 6 was in development during a recent investors’ meeting, he spoke hypothetically about the possibility of a successor to exist alongside GTA V. According to a report in GamesIndustry, Zelnick compared Grand Theft Auto to the sports simulator NBA 2K and implied that GTA V’s appeal would not cause the company to forestall the release of a sequel. “What actually happened was that when we launched NBA 2K Online 2, it turned out to be a massive hit,” Zelnick was quoted as saying during the meeting. [caption id=“attachment_7360031” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”]  Grand Theft Auto: V. Image: Rockstar Games.[/caption] “And guess what? The audience was still stable and growing for NBA 2K Online itself, the first title. So we kept them both up and they’re both up to this day,” he added. He went on to say that he is not at all worried about being in a position where they have a great line of services and a new release leads to some internal competition. As per a report in the Independent, it has nearly been seven years since the release of Grand Theft Auto and there are a lot of speculations about when Rockstar Games might release the next installment in the franchise. A recent budget report had led to rumours that the game would be released around 2023 when the video game publisher plans of spending a huge amount on marketing. Take Two has, however, denied those reports. Last month, it was revealed that **Grand Theft Auto V was available for free on the Epic Games Store** between 14 and 21 May. The report stated that one of the reasons GTA V was being offered for free is because its developer Rockstar North is likely looking to expand its customer base. However, barely days into giving out the game for free, the American video game publishing company posted a message on Twitter, stating that due to extremely high player volumes, they are **currently experiencing issues with access to GTA V for PC** .