Take-Two Interactive is expecting the busiest release schedule in its history. And that is no exaggeration.
According to its latest financial report, the company will release 29 projects between 2027 and 2029. But the star project is, of course, Grand Theft Auto VI. It launches on November 19th on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S—and immediately afterward, the publishing pipeline will kick into high gear.
Fifteen games on the list draw on established franchises that have consistently brought Take-Two profits for years. Among them are eight full-fledged sequels and seven remakes, remasters, or ports to new platforms. Most of these releases are scheduled for 2028–2029. The rest are eight annual sports simulation games. Series like NBA 2K27, WWE 2K27, and PGA TOUR 2K27 are like Swiss watches: they release strictly on schedule and guarantee the company cash flow, even when big hits are delayed.
Incidentally, the release of GTA VI is just a taster. Take-Two’s heaviest period will begin a year or two after the release of the sixth installment. Apparently, the company is betting not on a single blockbuster, but on a long-term pipeline of titles. And 15 projects based on old franchises is not a precaution, but a deliberate strategy: take the tried and true and innovate. Well, that sounds pragmatic.
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Announcements of new franchises and the return of iconic games
Take-Two is not planning on just sticking to old hits. They are planning three entirely new universes. The most intriguing of these is Judas. It is being developed by Ken Levine (yes, the same one who brought us BioShock) at Ghost Story Games. The project has not been fully revealed yet, but the intrigue is already sky-high.
Another newcomer is the online shooter Project ETHOS from 31st Union. What will it be? So far, silence. The third title is completely shrouded in mystery—no name, no genre.
Let’s talk about legends. The development of the next Mafia and a new BioShock game has been confirmed. Rumors have been circulating for a long time—now it is official.
Zynga’s Mobile Games and the Risk of Changes in Plans
Three smartphone games. Among them is the already announced racing game CSR 3 from Zynga (the studio was acquired by Take-Two a couple of years ago). The mobile sector is a stable cash cow, so it is essential.
But there is a catch. The publisher itself admits: the plan may change. Some projects will be cut. Deadlines will be pushed back. And more games may be added to the roadmap in the future. So none of this is set in stone.
Players’ expectations for unannounced remasters
Mostly modern versions of GTA IV and an enhanced edition of Red Dead Redemption 2. To get the most out of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. So far, silence. But the aftertaste lingers.
Secret Rockstar Games and Development Rumors
Developers are used to keeping the suspense alive until the very last minute. In the new quarterly reports from publisher Take-Two, a mysterious line about “unannounced titles” keeps popping up, without the slightest detail. However, if you follow the industry closely, hidden projects are quite possible to spot.
Take, for example, the remakes of Max Payne 1 and Max Payne 2. Strictly speaking, they were already announced, but the news somehow got lost in the news. Back in April 2022, Remedy Entertainment (the creators of the original) confirmed the start of work, with Rockstar Games taking on the role of publisher. Production is currently in full swing, with active development beginning in 2024. Release? The launch window looks quite realistic: 2026–2027.
The situation with Bully 2 is much more complicated. It is perhaps the company’s most mythical long-term project. According to inside information from Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, a full-fledged sequel was brewing in the studio’s depths until 2017. Then priorities shifted dramatically: the team was thrown into saving Red Dead Redemption 2. In 2026, the original high school action game will turn exactly 20 years old, making it the perfect date for a big comeback. Unfortunately, so far, there has been no news. There are no recent code leaks or specific job openings for the proprietary RAGE engine.
The arcade racing game Midnight Club has been gathering dust in the archives since its release in Los Angeles way back in 2008. Tellingly, Take-Two is regularly renewing the rights to the midnightclub.com domain. The classic street racing niche is practically empty these days: the competitive Forza Horizon has firmly established itself on festival off-road tracks, and the Need for Speed series is in flux. Market logic dictates that the time is ripe for a reboot.
Rumors about Red Dead Redemption 3 surface with enviable regularity. The answer is always the same: do not expect it before 2029. The key teams are hard at work polishing GTA VI (and this process will drag on until at least 2027). Add to this the standard production cycle of a large-scale sandbox game of 7-8 years. The math is simple.
Rockstar / Take-Two Projects Release Probability Before 2029
The long-suffering GTA IV Enhanced Edition is a completely different story. As a reminder, the original build was temporarily removed from sale in 2020 due to expired music rights, with licenses for 214 radio tracks being scrapped. Rebuilding the entire soundtrack for the remaster would require colossal budgets, complex negotiations with labels, and months of paperwork. While texture adjustments are not a problem, the economics of the project are currently highly questionable. So, fans’ endless requests are being met by harsh legal mechanics, not Take-Two’s reluctance to make money.
