GTA 6 publisher blames 2023's swathe of industry layoffs on "the enthusiasm of the pandemic"

Take-Two's CEO believes some companies "overbuilt" during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why we're seeing many layoffs this year.

So far in 2023, over 6,000 jobs have been lost over the year, from both publishers and developers alike. The likes of Bungie, Telltale Games, Naughty Dog, Blizzard, Creative Assembly, Gearbox, BioWare, Ubisoft, CD Projekt, and EA are among the companies to reportedly have laid off staff this year.

In a new interview with GamesIndustry.biz, GTA 6 publisher Take-Two's CEO has commented on why this might be. The outlet commented that the publisher seemed relatively "unscathed" by the layoffs, leading Zelnick to add, "I think many of our competitors overbuilt during the enthusiasm of the pandemic and they're rationalizing now."

"We have a three-part strategy – innovation, creativity, and efficiency – and I think our focus on efficiency [means that] on an ongoing basis, we're always rightsizing the team," Zelnick continued. "We did go through an integration process when we acquired Zynga and that did allow us to gain efficiencies at that time," the CEO explained.

Zelnick remains "optimistic" for 2024, which is pretty easy to say when you've got GTA 6 on your release schedule. That's not to say the new game is coming out next year, though recently, Rockstar Games finally confirmed that a GTA 6 trailer would release in December. 

Whether GTA 6 is releasing next year or not, it's a massive card for Take-Two to have in its deck. Elsewhere, Zelnick hinted at an incoming release date announcement for GTA 6, commenting that the publisher is "getting closer to delivering the groundbreaking titles that our audiences have been anticipating." 

The GTA community's reaction to the GTA 6 trailer news for next month is nothing but positivity.