GTA 6: Next Grand Theft Auto game won't mean the end of GTA 5, hints Take-Two boss

It is still unclear what stage of development the highly anticipated sequel is in

The release of Grand Theft Auto VI will not mean the end of Grand Theft Auto V, according to the CEO of Take-Two, which owns Rockstar Games.

During a recent investors meeting, CEO Strauss Zelnick refused to confirm whether GTA 6 was in development, but spoke hypothetically about the potential for a successor to exist alongside GTA V, which currently retains a large community of online players.

Making his point, Zelnick compared Grand Theft Auto to the sports simulator NBA 2K, and implied that GTA V's enduring appeal would not cause the company to forestall the release of a sequel.

“What actually happened was that when we launched NBA 2K Online 2, it turned out to be a massive hit,” he said, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz.

“And guess what? The audience was still stable and growing for NBA 2K Online itself, the first title. So we kept them both up and they’re both up to this day.”

He continued: “I am not remotely worried about being in a position that we have a great line of live services and a new release and that there’s somehow maybe some internal competition. That to me is the definition of a high-class problem.”

It has been nearly seven years since the release of Grand Theft Auto V; speculation is rampant as to when exactly Rockstar plan on releasing the franchise’s next instalment.

A recent budget report sparked speculation that the game would be released around 2023, when Rockstar are planning for a hugely increased marketing spend, although Take-Two has denied those theories.