Take-Two takes the cake

Gamers call it Grand Theft Auto—we’re calling it Grand Theft Market Share.

After multiple delays, the highly anticipated GTA VI is finally arriving in a few short months, and analysts are forecasting a windfall for the publisher behind the game: Take-Two Interactive Software.

Shares jumped 1.03% after the company released its trailer for the video game on Netflix last night, with the game itself expected to officially launch in November. The preview was so popular that it crashed the streaming service.

If you’re not a video game aficionado, we’ll explain why GTA is a BFD: It’s expected to be the biggest entertainment launch of all time. Some estimates suggest that the game could generate over $3 billion in revenue in its first week alone.

Just to get a sense of how popular the franchise is, GTA V is still in the top five best-selling video games every single year, despite being 13 years old, according to CNBC. And GTA Online, the multiplayer companion to GTA V, still rakes in about $9.6 million per week, or almost half a billion dollars per year.

Analysts are doing a double take

People who played GTA IV in elementary school aren’t the only ones excited about returning to Vice City. Analysts at Morgan Stanley, BTIG, and JPMorgan have all released notes on Take-Two recently, and all have made bullish calls on the stock.

“Historically, these highly-anticipated game launches have driven significant institutional and retail engagement with game publisher stocks, particularly as marketing campaigns begin

in the final 3-6 months,” wrote Morgan Stanley equity analyst Matthew Cost in a note today.

“Our analysis of four past examples shows an average peak appreciation of 13% in the final 3 months leading to launch. Ultimately, we expect increased investor attention but limited near-term execution risk to create a potent tailwind for share performance,” Cost added. Morgan Stanley’s price target on Take-Two is $280—19% higher than where shares trade today.

Accolades like that are a welcome boon for Take-Two, given shares were down roughly 9% in 2026 before today, and its latest earnings report was nothing to write home about. But GTA VI is changing the game—literally.—LB