Grand Theft Auto VI could generate more than $3 billion in sales during its first week after release, games research firm Newzoo projected, CNBC reported in a recording published Nov. 15.
That would exceed the opening sales of its predecessor, which generated more than $1 billion in its first three days after launching in 2013. CNBC Television's “GTA 6's Billion-Dollar Hype Machine” put the release's lasting revenue potential alongside expectations for its opening.
Rockstar Games, the developer, and parent company Take-Two Interactive face expectations built over more than a decade since the previous installment. The new game has had two launch delays.
Morgan Stanley analysts estimated that sales could reach 40 million copies by March 2027. Their estimate included about 10 million preorders, representing nearly $1 billion in sales before release.
The opening sales would provide only part of the game's eventual revenue. Its predecessor continued to attract players long after launch through GTA Online, a multiplayer version where people share the game's fictional world.
Rockstar disclosed in April 2016 that purchases inside GTA Online had generated $500 million since launch, about three years earlier. Those purchases provide revenue after customers buy the original game.
The timing of an online component for GTA VI remains unresolved. Rockstar has not announced when an interactive role-playing version will launch, leaving that part of the game's business without a public timetable.
Role-playing communities let players create fictional characters and improvise stories together on shared servers. That activity gives creators material for broadcasts that can continue beyond the game's main story.
Creators are preparing videos and extended broadcasts for the release, seeking subscribers and advertising revenue. Their plans include publishing across different platforms and streaming for much of the day.
The release also figures in plans outside gaming. Workplace software company BambooHR reported that paid leave requests for the launch date were nearly 13% higher than a year earlier.
Nearly one in five workers planned to take time off for the launch, the company said. The figures concern workers' plans and leave requests, rather than a measured loss of economic output.
Newzoo projected that the global gaming market would reach $214 billion in 2026, up 6%, partly because of GTA VI. Its forecast puts the release among the factors supporting growth across the industry.
Rockstar attributed the game's delays to needing more time to polish it. The developer declined an interview request ahead of release, leaving its preparations without further explanation from company executives.
The recording gave no confirmed date for the PC version. The schedule for that release and the online component leaves two parts of Rockstar's longer-term plans open beyond the initial launch.
