Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick has spoken for the primary time about his shock addition to the WWE 2K26 roster in June, saying it was his concept and the DLC did fairly nicely really. However don’t anticipate the high-powered CEO to seem in GTA 6.
Zelnick was quietly added as a playable character in WWE 2K26 through the recreation’s third season content material replace, full with a full entrance with distinctive commentary alongside ‘My Method’ by Frank Sinatra, which is kind of the licensed music to get for any online game.
The 69-year-old gaming govt weighs in at 165 lbs and holds an in-game ranking of 77, which may be honest sufficient given Zelnick has been known as “America’s Fittest CEO.” In 2018, aged 61, he was mentioned to be figuring out 10-12 instances a week. He based his personal personal exercise membership identified as The Program, and he’s written his personal wellness e book, Turning into Ageless: The 4 Secrets and techniques To Wanting and Feeling Youthful Than Ever.
Right here is Strauss Zelnick’s full entrance that features a new entrance animation and “My Method” by Frank Sinatra, and no, you can not use the music as it is unique to him. #WWE2K26 pic.twitter.com/csDpfu0oFH
— 𝕾𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖚𝖘™ (@WhatsTheStatus) June 3, 2026
So, once I received the prospect to interview Zelnick following Take-Two’s most up-to-date monetary report, amid questions in regards to the choice to not promote GTA 6 on a disc and speak of how streaming would possibly simply save gaming, I squeezed in a query about how he turned a playable character in the corporate’s WWE recreation.
Zelnick confirmed he requested for it to occur, so it was his concept, and he carried out movement seize for it. “The way it took place? I requested,” he mentioned. “I want I may say that there was big fashionable demand internally and externally, however that may be a lie. I requested after which I went on the soundstage and I did movement seize and all of us had enjoyable with it. However no, this was a uncommon second the place I mentioned, ‘I feel this could be enjoyable. Let’s do that.’ And everybody’s like, ‘Okay.’”
However why would Zelnick wish to do that in the primary place? “As a result of I like the title and I cherished WWE, and I believed it might be humorous for insiders and possibly enjoyable for some customers,” he defined. “And I feel it received precisely the anticipated response. And by the best way, a lot of individuals performed it, as it seems, it did very nicely. However the on-line response was kind of like, ‘Huh?’ Which I feel I deserved.”
The inevitable follow-up query was: if Zelnick is a playable character in WWE, does that imply we’d see him in GTA 6 when it comes out this November?
“You’ll not,” Zelnick mentioned, placing that one to mattress instantly.
In a earlier interview, I had requested Zelnick about Take-Two’s WWE online game franchise, which is profitable however lags behind the large reputation of its NBA sequence. He informed me WWE 2K may “double or triple” the dimensions that it’s now.
“I do assume there’s ongoing alternatives to enhance the standard of the sport,” he mentioned. “I do assume that we can provide customers extra of what they need. And I do know our staff at Visible Ideas all the time desires to do higher. We’re by no means in the enterprise of patting ourselves on the again. We consider that conceitedness is the enemy of continued success. And I feel that title may very well be double or triple the dimensions that it’s as lengthy as we delight customers, and as lengthy as we give them one thing new and never anticipated that is in keeping with the model that they love. That is our job.”
Possibly Strauss Zelnick being a common playable character will do the trick.
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You may attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.