Four million players bought NBA 2K27, but Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick said the basketball title still fell short of company expectations because shoppers are saving their money for Grand Theft Auto 6.
GTA 6 Release Shifts Consumer Spending and NBA 2K27 Sales
The upcoming release of GTA 6 has reshaped consumer spending across the entire video game industry, according to play3.de. Strauss Zelnick reported that some players skipped other new releases entirely to hoard cash for the open-world blockbuster.
NBA 2K27 launched in early September for PC and consoles, moving four million copies. Zelnick said that figure makes it the second-best-selling game in franchise history, yet it missed internal projections.
I think crucially, despite the fact that NBA 2K27 fell short of our expectations, it’s the second most successful title in the history of the NBA 2K franchise,
Zelnick told IGN in an interview. It’s an exceedingly successful title that sold four million units.
Publishers Alter Schedules as Zelnick Plans More Content
Furthermore, we will release more additional content than ever in the remainder of the year and therefore expect the game to perform even better than it already has,
Zelnick said regarding the Visual Concepts sports title.
Rival publishers have altered release schedules to dodge a direct clash with November 2026. September featured a crowded slate that included The Blood of Dawnwalker, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and Marvel’s Wolverine.
GTA 6 Launches on Consoles in November 2026
Grand Theft Auto 6 launches on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Take-Two has not announced a release date for the PC version.
Industry reports suggest a PC port could arrive several months after the console rollout, though company executives have not confirmed a timeline.
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