Take-Two's CEO Says the Company Isn't for Sale — Not to Netflix, Not to Anyone

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has a simple message for anyone eyeing the company behind Grand Theft Auto: it's not for sale.

Speaking in an interview with CNBC on August 10, 2026, hosted by Andrew Ross Sorkin, Zelnick said Take-Two has no interest in being acquired — by Netflix or anyone else. "If anyone deserves to be an independent company, we do," he said VGC.

The remark lands amid recurring speculation about Netflix's ambitions in gaming. The streaming giant has expanded its interactive offerings in recent years, though Zelnick noted that Netflix has historically grown organically rather than through large acquisitions. He also pointed to Take-Two's standing as the largest publicly traded pure-play interactive entertainment company in the world — a company that sells games and little else — and said it expects more than US$8 billion in revenue this year.

The timing is notable. On August 27, Netflix will premiere Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look at 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm BST. The same content will appear on the Rockstar Games YouTube channel and the GTA 6 website six hours later. It is an unusual partnership — a streaming platform getting first crack at footage for one of gaming's most anticipated titles — but it is a marketing arrangement, not a corporate one.

Zelnick has spent the months leading up to this moment tightening the details around GTA 6's launch. In May 2026, he reaffirmed that the game is planned for November and that marketing would begin this summer VGC. He confirmed there will be no PC version at launch alongside consoles, saying Rockstar will "make more announcements in due time" regarding a PC release VGC. He also pushed back on rumours that the game would ship as a digital-only release, calling that "not the plan" VGC.

For context on Zelnick's longer view of the hardware cycle: he said in 2023 that mid-generation console refreshes — upgraded versions of existing consoles partway through their lifespan — were likely during the current generation VGC. Whether those materialise remains up to Sony and Microsoft.

For now, the picture is straightforward. Take-Two is betting big on November, it has a promotional partnership with Netflix for a content drop, and its CEO says the company is staying independent. The GTA 6Extended Look on August 27 will give players their next glimpse of the game itself.