Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick isn't losing sleep over the possibility of piracy affecting Grand Theft Auto 6. Although he describes himself as someone who worries about almost everything, he considers piracy an ongoing reality across the entertainment industry rather than an unexpected threat.

During a recent interview, Zelnick reflected on his experience in different entertainment sectors, including movies and music. He explained that piracy has affected each industry differently over the years. In the movie business, estimates suggested that around 10% to 20% of the market was affected by piracy at any given time. The music industry experienced an even bigger challenge, with Zelnick estimating that approximately 80% of the market was pirated by the mid-2000s.

However, those numbers eventually declined, demonstrating that piracy levels can change over time.

The upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 6 has already attracted considerable attention, including several unauthorized leaks. Some players have gained access to information and material that Rockstar Games likely intended to keep secret until closer to launch.

The situation escalated when a leaker threatened to release an entire game build, potentially including the full story mode. The individual also reportedly threatened to activate a dead man's switch if Take-Two pursued legal action.

Zelnick acknowledges that piracy is a concern, although he believes interactive entertainment faces some unique challenges that make unauthorized copies less attractive.

According to the CEO, modern games are considerably more complex and have larger file sizes than many other forms of entertainment. This makes piracy more difficult to manage, although it certainly doesn't eliminate the problem.

If piracy becomes a significant issue, Take-Two is prepared to respond through both legal action and technical measures. The company has already taken steps to investigate the source of the GTA 6 leaks, including pursuing legal action to obtain additional information from Discord.

One advantage Take-Two sees is the increasing importance of online connectivity in modern games. Zelnick explained that players need access to the company's servers to enjoy the full experience offered by its titles.

This creates an additional obstacle for anyone attempting to distribute or play pirated versions. Unauthorized copies would potentially require separate servers to replicate the original experience, something that would be difficult to organize and maintain.

Zelnick acknowledges that this doesn't make piracy impossible, but believes it could significantly affect the quality of the experience available through unauthorized copies.

Ultimately, Take-Two expects piracy to remain part of the gaming industry for the foreseeable future. Rather than treating it as an entirely new problem, the company intends to remain vigilant and use a combination of legal and technical solutions to protect its games.

With Grand Theft Auto 6 among the most anticipated releases in gaming, protecting the game and its players will remain an important priority for Take-Two and Rockstar Games.