Shares of Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ: TTWO) fell over 3% in pre-market trading today after the company issued a weaker-than-expected forecast for fiscal 2026 bookings.
The video game publisher now expects bookings between $5.9 billion and $6 billion for the fiscal year, falling short of Wall Street’s revised consensus of $6.46 billion, according to Visible Alpha. The weaker guidance comes amid the delay of the company’s highly anticipated title, “Grand Theft Auto VI”.
The postponement of this major release is viewed as a significant setback for Take-Two. The sixth installment in the best-selling “Grand Theft Auto” franchise is expected to be a major revenue driver, with analysts forecasting it could generate billions of dollars in sales within weeks of release. However, the company has pushed its release into fiscal 2027, potentially weighing on its current-year bookings.
Despite this, Take-Two remains optimistic about its long-term outlook. In a statement, CEO Strauss Zelnick said,
“As we bring our exciting lineup to market, including Grand Theft Auto VI in fiscal 2027, we expect to achieve record levels of net bookings.”
In the meantime, Take-Two has several other major titles planned for release, including “Borderlands 4” and “Mafia: The Old Country.” However, analysts note that while these games could perform well, they are unlikely to fully compensate for the revenue lost from pushing “GTA VI” into the next fiscal year.
Looking to the first quarter of fiscal 2026, Take-Two projects bookings of $1.25 billion to $1.30 billion, roughly in line with analysts’ expectations of $1.28 billion, per LSEG data.
The company also posted mixed results for its fiscal fourth quarter. Earnings per share came in at $1.08, slightly missing the consensus estimate of $1.12. However, revenue totaled $1.58 billion, edging past forecasts of $1.55 billion.
Looking ahead, Take-Two guided for a first-quarter net loss between $0.78 and $0.65 per share, on revenue of $1.35 billion to $1.4 billion. That compares with analyst estimates of a $0.78 loss on $1.28 billion in revenue.
For the full fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, the company expects a net loss between $2.79 and $2.45 per share, with revenue ranging from $5.95 billion to $6.05 billion.
As of the latest update, Take-Two (NASDAQ: TTWO) shares are down 3.59%, trading at $224.
Kevin Putnam is a financial journalist and editor based in New York. He specializes in editing news and analysis related to U.S. stock market. Read Full Bio
