Take-Two says GTA 6 pre-orders are exceeding expectations as NBA 2K27 misses its forecast

Take-Two says pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI are far ahead of its initial expectations. At the same time, NBA 2K27 fell short of the publisher’s forecast for the quarter, despite selling more than four million copies and delivering the second-highest net bookings performance in the series’ history.

The contrast comes just days before GTA 6’s scheduled November 19 launch. Take-Two kept its fiscal 2027 net bookings outlook at $8 billion to $8.2 billion, a range that includes the game’s release. It has not disclosed how many copies have been pre-ordered or given a separate bookings forecast for GTA 6.

GTA 6 pre-orders are running ahead of Take-Two’s expectations

CEO Strauss Zelnick said pre-orders are far ahead of the company’s original expectations. That describes demand compared with Take-Two’s internal forecast. The publisher has not released a total pre-order count, so the statement does not show how many copies players have ordered.

“Pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI are tracking far in excess of our initial expectations, and we know that the numbers will speak for themselves soon enough.”

- Strauss Zelnick, CEO, Take-Two Interactive, on the earnings call

GTA 6 is scheduled to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Its release falls within Take-Two’s fiscal third quarter, which ends on December 31, so the next results will show how the launch contributed to the company’s bookings.

NBA 2K27 had a record-level launch but missed its forecast

Take-Two said NBA 2K27 has sold more than four million units and delivered the second-highest net bookings performance in the franchise’s history. The company did not disclose its original forecast or how far the game fell short.

“While NBA 2K27 launched successfully and achieved the second highest Net Bookings performance in the history of the series, it was below our forecast for the period.”

- Strauss Zelnick, CEO, Take-Two Interactive, on the earnings call

Take-Two described the release window as unusually busy, with other entertainment releases competing for players’ attention. It expects bookings and engagement for NBA 2K27 to improve in the second half of its fiscal year, supported by themed seasons, new college basketball content and MyTEAM updates.

Take-Two’s quarterly net bookings fell 18%

Take-Two reported $1.60 billion in net bookings for the three months ended September 30, down 18% from $1.96 billion in the same quarter a year earlier. The result was also below the company’s previous guidance range of $1.62 billion to $1.67 billion.

Net bookings measure products and services sold during a period, including digital sales and physical products sold to retailers. Take-Two also reported $1.50 billion in net revenue, down from $1.77 billion a year earlier. The figures use different accounting measures, so net bookings and net revenue are related but not interchangeable.

Recurrent consumer spending, which includes in-game purchases and add-on content, fell 9% year over year and accounted for 81% of net bookings. This gives further context to the quarter’s decline alongside NBA 2K27’s performance.

Take-Two holds its annual bookings outlook

Take-Two still expects $8 billion to $8.2 billion in net bookings for fiscal 2027, which ends March 31, 2027. It raised its net revenue outlook to $7.98 billion to $8.18 billion, from a previous range of $7.90 billion to $8.10 billion, but left its bookings forecast unchanged.

For the fiscal third quarter ending December 31, the company expects net bookings of $3.35 billion to $3.50 billion. That forecast covers the period in which GTA 6 launches, but it is not a sales estimate for the game alone.

Take-Two’s next results will show how the launch performed against its expectations and how much it contributed to the quarter. Until then, the company says pre-orders are far ahead of its initial forecast, while its annual net bookings outlook remains unchanged.