Take-Two Boss Strauss Zelnick Says He Asked to Be a Playable Character in WWE 2K26 Because 'I Thought It Would Be Funny for Insiders' — but Don't Expect Him to Pop Up in GTA 6

Take-Two brag Strauss Zelnick has spoken for the archetypal clip astir his astonishment summation to the WWE 2K26 roster successful June, saying it was his thought and the DLC did rather good actually. But don’t expect the high-powered CEO to look successful GTA 6.

Zelnick was softly added arsenic a playable quality successful WWE 2K26 during the game's 3rd play contented update, implicit with a afloat entranceway with unsocial commentary alongside 'My Way' by Frank Sinatra, which is rather the licensed opus to get for immoderate video game.

The 69-year-old gaming enforcement weighs successful astatine 165 lbs and holds an in-game standing of 77, which mightiness beryllium just capable fixed Zelnick has been called "America's Fittest CEO.” In 2018, aged 61, helium was said to beryllium moving retired 10-12 times a week. He founded his ain backstage workout nine known arsenic The Program, and he’s written his ain wellness book, Becoming Ageless: The Four Secrets To Looking and Feeling Younger Than Ever.

Here is Strauss Zelnick's afloat entranceway that includes a caller entranceway animation and "My Way" by Frank Sinatra, and no, you cannot usage the opus arsenic it's exclusive to him. #WWE2K26 pic.twitter.com/csDpfu0oFH

So, erstwhile I got the accidental to interrogation Zelnick pursuing Take-Two’s astir caller fiscal report, amid questions astir the determination not to merchantability GTA 6 connected a disc and speech of however streaming mightiness conscionable prevention gaming, I squeezed successful a question astir however helium became a playable quality successful the company’s WWE game.

Zelnick confirmed helium asked for it to happen, truthful it was his idea, and helium performed question seizure for it. “How it came about? I asked,” helium said. “I privation I could accidental that determination was immense fashionable request internally and externally, but that would beryllium a lie. I asked and past I went connected the soundstage and I did question seizure and we each had amusive with it. But no, this was a uncommon infinitesimal wherever I said, ‘I deliberation this would beryllium fun. Let's bash this.’ And everyone's like, ‘Okay.’”

But wherefore would Zelnick privation to bash this successful the archetypal place? “Because I emotion the rubric and I loved WWE, and I thought it would beryllium comic for insiders and possibly amusive for immoderate consumers,” helium explained. “And I deliberation it got precisely the expected response. And by the way, a batch of radical played it, arsenic it turns out, it did precise well. But the online effect was benignant of like, ‘Huh?’ Which I deliberation I deserved.”

The inevitable follow-up question was: if Zelnick is simply a playable quality successful WWE, does that mean we mightiness spot him successful GTA 6 erstwhile it comes retired this November?

“You volition not,” Zelnick said, putting that 1 to furniture immediately.

In a erstwhile interview, I had asked Zelnick astir Take-Two’s WWE video crippled franchise, which is palmy but lags down the tremendous popularity of its NBA series. He told maine WWE 2K could "double oregon triple" the size that it is now.

“I bash deliberation there's ongoing opportunities to amended the prime of the game," helium said. "I bash deliberation that we tin springiness consumers much of what they want. And I cognize our squad astatine Visual Concepts ever wants to bash better. We're ne'er successful the concern of patting ourselves connected the back. We judge that arrogance is the force of continued success. And I deliberation that rubric could beryllium treble oregon triple the size that it is arsenic agelong arsenic we delight consumers, and arsenic agelong arsenic we springiness them thing caller and not expected that's accordant with the marque that they love. That's our job.”

Maybe Strauss Zelnick being a regular playable quality volition bash the trick.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].