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Take-Two Interactive Software announced on Thursday that it expects significant growth in net bookings for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, as the company prepares for the highly anticipated release of *Grand Theft Auto VI* next year.
Following the announcement, Take-Two’s shares rose by more than 5% in extended trading. The *Grand Theft Auto* series remains one of Take-Two’s most successful franchises, generating billions of dollars in revenue since its launch in the late 1990s.
In May, the company narrowed the release window for *GTA VI* to the fall of 2025, setting the stage for the next chapter in one of the world’s most popular video game series. *Grand Theft Auto V*, one of the most profitable games of all time, has sold over 200 million units globally.
Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter anticipates that much of the company’s projected booking growth over the next two fiscal years will come from the release of *GTA VI*.
Take-Two also revealed in May that it has around 40 titles in its development pipeline, set to release through fiscal 2027. However, the company provided a lower-than-expected forecast for second-quarter bookings, citing softer in-game spending on live-service titles due to inflationary pressures. It expects second-quarter bookings to range between $1.42 billion and $1.47 billion, while analysts had estimated $1.47 billion, according to LSEG data.
Additionally, Take-Two noted a decline in recurrent consumer spending for *GTA Online* during the first quarter, signaling a potential slowdown in player engagement for the live-service game after years of steady growth.
First-quarter bookings came in at $1.22 billion, falling short of analyst expectations of $1.25 billion. Despite this, Take-Two reported an unexpected adjusted profit of 5 cents per share, compared to estimates of a 2-cent loss.
The company also stated that it does not expect the ongoing video game performers’ strike to impact any titles currently in development, a sentiment echoed by its competitor, Electronic Arts, last week.
