While Rockstar Games hasn’t officially confirmed that there will be a multiplayer option for GTA 6, the comments made by Take-Two Interactive have gotten the gaming community excited about a possible online mode for the game.
CEO Strauss Zelnick, in his latest quarterly earnings call, talked about Take-Two’s long-term revenue outlook after the release of GTA 6.
He did not specifically reference GTA Online, but his comments about having to maintain a “new level of scale” and create “strong cash flows” on a “more continuous basis” have drawn industry attention.
Take-Two reported net bookings of $1.39 billion, which was above Wall Street expectations, in its first quarter.
Read more: GTA 6 reportedly more expensive than building Burj Khalifa
The company has also held its net bookings guidance to between $8 billion and $8.2 billion for the year.
The cautious prediction, however, is made despite Rockstar referring to GTA 6 pre-orders as “unprecedented.”
If the orders were just pre-orders, they are not a guarantee of success, Zelnick said, “We’ve sold nothing so far, and there are people who still cancel orders.”
However, analysts think Take-Two’s long-term earnings goals indicate there will likely be a substantial online portion for GTA 6.
The majority of single-player releases see their peak sales shortly after they are released and then drop off.
To maintain billions in earnings annually would then mean continued interaction and expenditure via live-service content, such as perhaps micro-transactions.
Rockstar might do just that, as they did with GTA Online, by releasing the main story with Lucia and Jason, before offering a standalone or integrated online mode.
As yet nothing has been confirmed, but future GTA 6 marketing may offer more information about the live-service features of the game and what it might look like when it goes online.
Also read: GTA 6 ‘Extended look’ to premiere on Netflix