NBA 2K27 Misses Take-Two Forecast as GTA VI Preorders Surge

Take-Two Interactive said NBA 2K27 sold more than 4 million units after its September 4 release but fell short of the company’s forecast, even as it recorded the series’ second-best launch by net bookings. Chief Executive Strauss Zelnick said the timing of the basketball game’s release and anticipation for Grand Theft Auto VI may have affected sales, while company President Karl Slatoff said the precise reasons for the shortfall were difficult to determine.

Take-Two reported second-quarter net bookings of $1.60 billion, down 18% from a year earlier and below the $1.62 billion to $1.67 billion range it had previously forecast. Net revenue was $1.50 billion, a 16% year-over-year decline. The company attributed much of the bookings decline to comparisons with major releases in the prior-year quarter, along with weaker results for NBA 2K and mobile games.

Zelnick described the NBA 2K27 launch as the franchise’s second-best in history and said the game had sold more than 4 million copies. He said the release period was crowded and that Grand Theft Auto VI’s expected arrival had influenced consumers. Take-Two expects bookings and engagement for NBA 2K27 to increase in the second half...