The Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time arrived last week carrying a 96 score on Metacritic, the kind of number that invites comparisons with the biggest launch of the year. With Grand Theft Auto VI now days away, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick was asked whether he sees Nintendo's remake as competition for GTA 6.
Zelnick answered the question in an interview with GamesBeat, and he started with praise for Nintendo before widening the answer into his whole philosophy on competition:
It's terrific, and they should be very proud of the title. In the entertainment business, you compete against everything and nothing. Everything because there's so many ways consumers can spend their time, and nothing because if there's nothing good out there, people don't need to consume any of it. It's like food; like food could be bad, but you still are going to be hungry. But in the case of entertainment, it's not a must-have; it's a want to have. So it's our job to make the best entertainment on earth. When we do that, people will show up for it.
The answer fits the position Zelnick took through the rest of the interview, where he argued that a major hit lifts far more than the company behind it. "In general, hits are good for an entertainment business, not just for the company that launches the hit title in question, but also for the entire industry because people are engaged with interactive entertainment, and then they want more of it because it's such a great medium," he said.
Zelnick Says GTA 6 Has Already Sold Consoles Ahead of Launch
Zelnick also pointed to hardware as one way GTA 6's arrival is already helping the wider business. "The launch of GTA VI undoubtedly has sold consoles, and so there will be a larger install base, and all the industry participants (including Take-Two) should benefit from that," he said, adding that "while it's possible there was some dampening effect in the past couple of months as consumers anticipate GTA VI, I think post-release, one way or the other, I think the business will benefit."
None of that confidence is slowing Rockstar's final push, with Zelnick insisting the marketing machine is running exactly as intended. "Marketing is rolling out as planned. It's a significant marketing campaign," he said. "So I think Rockstar is doing a great job on the marketing, and I do feel like awareness and participation is very strong, indeed." He described himself as proud of his "13,000 colleagues around the world, especially on the eve of, hopefully, an historic release."
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is available now for Nintendo Switch 2, having launched on November 5. Grand Theft Auto VI launches on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
You can watch the pre-load trailer for GTA 6 below:
Source: GamesBeat
