Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO) stock briefly jumped 2.9% on August 18 as new Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) leaks surfaced online, climbing from roughly $241 to just above $248 during the session, before dropping back down and closing at $242, up just 0.33%.
At the time of writing, August 19, the shares are actually down nearly 0.2% in pre-market trading, showing the newly leaked footage ultimately did very little to affect the publisher’s stock prices.
For comparison, when the pre-order date was revealed in June this year, the stock closed up nearly 3.5% as the hype for the game began to grow. Now, it remains to be seen how the shares might react to the extended preview expected to premiere on Netflix on August 27.
GTA VI leaks leave little impact on TTWO stock
As leaks appear to have little impact on TTWO prices, investors are more likely to focus on Take-Two’s financial outlook. GTA VI is scheduled to launch on November 19, and management has already expressed confidence it would convert significant pre-launch anticipation into revenue quickly.
Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two Interactive, stated in May that fiscal 2027 would be marked by record-breaking performance, driven largely by the November release.
“Our Fiscal 2026 performance was exceptional and exceeded our initial expectations at every label. We believe Fiscal 2027 will establish new record levels of operating performance driven by the November 19th launch of Grand Theft Auto VI… We expect to sustain this higher level of scale, generate strong cash flows, and deliver long-term shareholder value as we release our robust development pipeline, continue to optimize our live services and capitalize on new business opportunities,” Zelnick said.
In other words, official developments, the launch in particular, are more relevant than speculation surrounding leaks. Overall, management is targeting a fiscal 2027 net bookings midpoint of $8.1 billion.
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