Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of the parent company behind GTA VI, has weighed in on Trump’s ongoing ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs, as the hotly anticipated game is thought to have been briefly listed to buy for $100.
Zelnick is the boss at Take-Two Interactive, a video game publisher that owns Rockstar Games, the creators and long-time makers of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.
The sixth game is expected to be released sometime this year, with the first trailer being put out in December of 2024.
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Many will be worried that Donald Trump’s ongoing tariffs, placing a tax on the import of goods in the US, may cause GTA VI to shoot up in price.
Fans online were already panicking about the potential price of the upcoming game after it was reported that a ‘reputable Swiss retailer’ had listed the game for $100.
It led a popular GTA VI update account on X to ask the question: “Could tariffs affect video game prices, and would you still pay that much for it?”
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Zelnick spoke about the tariffs in a recent interview with GamesIndustry, in which he hit out at the tariffs, saying: “Well, our industry association, the ESA, has been weighing in and in general, and I think most economists would agree, a world without tariffs is a better place.
“Now, tariffs do play a role when they're necessary and they could be necessary if, for example, a country is in the business of dumping on other economies.
"Apart from that situation, generally speaking, I am a free trader."
He continued to say that he'd 'like everyone else in business I'm somewhat concerned about the possibility of trade wars', adding: "I'm encouraged that we seem to be avoiding those with Mexico and Canada through discussion and negotiation and I'm cautiously optimistic that that will lead to a good result.”
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Unfortunately, Zelnick didn’t further weigh in on whether the price would be affected by tariffs, however, he definitely doesn’t seem to be the biggest fan.
The CEO had previously spoke about the price in vague terms, not committing to an exact figure just yet, however, promising that Take-Two and Rockstar would ‘over-deliver’ on what they charge.
Speaking in a Take-Two earnings call, Zelnick said of the algorithm around pricing that it 'is the value of the expected entertainment usage, which is to say that the per-hour value times the number of expected hours plus the terminal value that's perceived by the customer in ownership if the title is actually owned, not, say, rented or subscribed to'.
Zelnick said: "By that standard, our frontline prices are still very, very low, because we offer many hours of engagement."
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The CEO went on to add: “We want to make sure the experience is first class, and the nature of the experience is not just the quality of what we offer, it's also what you pay for."
The wait unfortunately continues for a price update, release date, or second trailer for GTA VI.
Topics: Donald Trump, Gaming, GTA
Michael Slavin