'GTA 6' Delayed Again — And TTWO Stock Is Paying The Price Despite Q2 Profit Beat

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (TTWO) shares tumbled more than 6% in after-hours trading on Thursday, as yet another delay in the release of its flagship gaming franchise overshadowed the company’s upbeat fiscal second-quarter results.

TTWO Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Take-Two reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.46, topping estimates of $0.94, on revenue of $1.96 billion versus a consensus of $1.74 billion. Total net bookings rose 33% year-over-year to $1.96 billion, with recurrent consumer spending (RCS) up 20%, accounting for 73% of total bookings. The beat was driven by strong performances from "NBA 2K26", "Mafia: The Old Country", and several mobile titles. However, the company said it would delay the release of "Grand Theft Auto VI" to next year.

GTA 6 Is Delayed ... Again

"Rockstar Games has announced that Grand Theft Auto VI will now be released on November 19, 2026, giving the team some additional time to finish the game with the high level of polish players expect and deserve," Take-Two said in a statement. 

Rockstar Games, Take-Two's subsidiary, created the "Grand Theft Auto" franchise, a long-running crime saga set in a fictionalized Miami. The last major entry, "GTA V", was released in September 2013, and fans have been eagerly awaiting its sequel ever since.

In the early 2020s, GTA 6 rumors dominated gaming forums and social media, giving rise to the viral meme: "We got X before GTA 6," where X stands in for any unusual development, including rumored alien sightings.

During the earnings call, CEO Strauss Zelnick defended the delay, emphasizing quality over deadlines: "Yes, the drivers are a desire to deliver as perfect an entertainment experience as we possibly can," Zelnick said. "It's always painful when we move a date, but we've never regretted it in retrospect. I would like to point out that we have some competitors in the event where more polish was required and required slipping a date, they chose not to slip the date, and they did so at their peril."

Zelnick also noted that "GTA V" has now sold 220 million units worldwide, reportedly making it the second-best-selling game ever, behind Mojang Studios' "Minecraft."

Some Silver Linings Exist

Take-Two announced other positive updates, including "NBA 2K All-Star" in China reaching 8 million registered users within six months, and mobile titles like "Toon Blast", "Match Factory!", "Color Block Jam" and "Empires & Puzzles" are driving significant growth.

Analysts at CFRA remained upbeat: "The additional development time positions GTA VI to potentially exceed the franchise's historical ~$1 billion launch-quarter performance," CFRA said, adding that management's raised FY26 net bookings guidance to $6.4–$6.5 billion reflects confidence in execution.

No Shortage Of Memes, Though

Still, the delay dominated online chatter. Social media, including Stocktwits, lit up with memes and jokes about the announcement. Even Guinness World Records joined in, posting on X (formerly Twitter): "Current record for the longest development period for a video game? 14 years and 43 days… Duke Nukem Forever," it wrote, embedding Rockstar's post about GTA 6 delays.

On Stocktwits, one user remarked: "$TTWO dinged hard on GTA news."

https://stocktwits.com/JFDI/message/635299298 

Despite the after-hours sharp selloff, sentiment on Stocktwits turned "extremely bullish" (92/100), hitting near year-high levels amid "extremely high" message volume.

"This dip is just catching up because the whole market dipped. GTA 6 delay is just delaying billions of dollars by 6 months no big deal for long term investors," said one bullish retail investor.

"They are trying to come out with the perfect game. What is another 5 or 6 years if we have already waited for so long? I would rather wait another 20 years and have perfection than have a product that is only 90% ready right now," posted another user.

On Wall Street, analysts remain overwhelmingly positive. Of the 27 research firms covering TTWO, 24 rate it a 'Buy' or 'Strong Buy,' per Koyfin data. The stock has surged by more than 35% this year, outperforming both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq indices.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com

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