While much of the gaming world is in breathless anticipation of the new release of Grand Theft Auto VI, analysts are already coming out in favor of the company poised to release it, Take-Two Interactive (TTWO). And a new analysis from Citi lit a fire under investors, who sent shares up in Wednesday afternoon’s trading. Five-star Citi analyst Jason Bazinet kept his Buy rating on Take-Two stock in place and hiked the price target from its original $200 to $225, noted a CNBC report.
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Naturally, Bazinet pointed to the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI release as a major reason for the price hike. However, he also cited “…a robust pipeline of other IP following GTA VI.”
Just to top it off, Bazinet also declared Take-Two a “top pick within our coverage universe,” declaring that the “risk-reward” was “compelling at prevailing levels.” Indeed, 2025 is set to see not only Grand Theft Auto VI but also Borderlands 4, Civilization 7, Mafia: The Old Country, and, of course, the standard array of annual sports releases.
Too Good to Be True?
There are, however, some potential issues afoot with that ambitious release schedule. A report from The Game Post notes that there is a good chance that Grand Theft Auto VI will not actually make its 2025 release window. After all, Red Dead Redemption 2 got pushed back multiple times, and Rockstar Games—who makes a lot of Take-Two’s titles—is known for delays.
This is likely to have significant fallout for the games industry itself. A Benzinga report noted that large portions of the gaming industry are already reconsidering release dates for their own titles so as not to find themselves competing with a major launch like that. Indeed, many publishers are holding off on fall 2025 announcements, figuring this is the most likely time for a launch.
Is Take-Two a Buy or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on TTWO stock based on 16 Buys and two Holds assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 20.63% rally in its share price over the past year, the average TTWO price target of $193.88 per share implies 2.06% upside potential.
