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GTA VI Anticipation Contributed to NBA 2K27 Missing Expectations
Grand Theft Auto VI has not launched yet, but Take-Two Interactive believes its enormous presence has already affected another of the company’s biggest franchises. NBA 2K27 has sold more than 4 million copies since launching on September 4, making it the second-best launch in NBA 2K history. Still, Take-Two Interactive says the 2K and Visual Concepts basketball title performed below its internal forecast during the company’s fiscal second quarter.
Speaking following Take-Two’s latest financial results, CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged that the unusually crowded release period, including publishers moving games around Grand Theft Auto VI, contributed to tougher market conditions.
That makes for an unusual dynamic within Take-Two itself. While GTA VI pre-orders have already surpassed the company’s original expectations, some of that anticipation appears to have made life harder for another major release in the same portfolio.
NBA 2K27 Still Had the Franchise’s Second-Best Launch
The softer-than-expected result needs some context. Zelnick told GamesBeat that NBA 2K27 remains the second-best launch for an NBA 2K game, with recurrent consumer spending also up year-on-year. He added that competing sports titles had suffered materially larger declines during the same period.
Take-Two’s own financial results similarly describe September as an “unusually busy” launch window, with numerous entertainment releases competing for player attention. The publisher expects bookings and engagement for NBA 2K27 to accelerate during the second half of its financial year as more post-launch content arrives.
That makes the situation more nuanced than GTA VI simply stealing 2K players. Zelnick has previously argued that traditional one-to-one “cannibalisation” does not neatly apply to entertainment because major releases can also stimulate wider consumer spending. His latest comments nevertheless acknowledge that GTA VI formed part of the unusual external circumstances affecting the sports market this autumn.
GTA VI Pre-Orders Are Far Ahead of Take-Two’s Forecast
Any shortfall arrives against considerably stronger news for Rockstar. Take-Two says GTA VI pre-orders are tracking “far in excess” of its initial expectations, although the publisher is keeping its full-year Net Bookings forecast unchanged at US$8 billion to US$8.2 billion until it has actual launch data.
Rockstar’s marketing campaign has also entered its final stretch, following the recent GTA VI launch trailer and the rollout of PS5 preload data ahead of release. Grand Theft Auto VI launches November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
For Take-Two, that means NBA 2K27’s missed target is occurring alongside unprecedented demand elsewhere in its own catalogue. Four million sales would normally sound like an unequivocal success. In the weeks before GTA VI, even that figure comes with an asterisk.
