Even NBA stars like Victor Wembanyama couldn't withstand the massive impact brought by the upcoming release of GTA VI.According to Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, Take-Two's NBA 2K27 failed to meet the company's internal sales expectations.
However, it's not all bad news. To properly evaluate the game's sales performance, we must consider the targets set by Take-Two.
NBA 2K27 Sales Miss Expectations, But Overall Performance Remains Solid
According to Bloomberg, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick revealed that NBA 2K27 has sold approximately 4 million copies so far. This achievement makes it the second best-selling title in the history of the NBA 2K series, indicating a quite solid performance.
Take-Two's latest financial report also mentioned that the cumulative global sales of the NBA 2K series have exceeded 175 million copies, placing it among the top 20 best-selling interactive entertainment franchises in history.
Although the anticipated release of GTA VI reportedly impacted NBA 2K27's sales to some extent, the NBA 2K series continues to perform well overall.
Strauss Zelnick doesn't seem overly worried about NBA 2K27 missing its targets. In an interview with Bloomberg, he joked, "If someone is going to cannibalize sales, I'd rather be the one doing the cannibalizing."
Bloomberg also noted that other sports titles released in 2026 performed even worse than NBA 2K27, which itself missed its targets. Therefore, there seems to be little need for Take-Two to be overly concerned.
Zelnick believes that the upcoming release of GTA VI may have caused some players who originally intended to buy NBA 2K27 to change their minds.After all, they may decide to save their money for GTA VI, or choose to purchase other games launching in fall 2026. Given the large number of new releases this autumn, players' budgets are limited.
Although Take-Two did not disclose specific sales targets for NBA 2K27, the company's net bookings for the quarter reached $1.6 billion, approximately $50 million below Wall Street's previous forecasts. However, with GTA VI set to officially launch on November 19, Take-Two's revenue is expected to see significant growth soon.
We will only know if Take-Two's actual third-quarter performance meets expectations after GTA VI officially launches. However, current pre-order figures for GTA VI have already far exceeded the company's projections. As the fiscal year progresses, this is likely good news for Take-Two, its shareholders, and players alike.