Take-Two Pauses Borderlands 4 Switch 2 Version Amid GTA 6 Updates

Take-Two Interactive, the gaming giant behind some of the most successful franchises in the industry, has made headlines this week with a series of pivotal announcements and statements that are already rippling across the gaming community. On February 3, 2026, the company revealed it is pausing development on the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of the highly anticipated "Borderlands 4," a move that surprised many fans and industry watchers alike.

The decision to halt the Switch 2 version of "Borderlands 4" was quietly reflected in Take-Two's latest quarterly earnings report. The title was removed from the company's chart of upcoming games, where it previously sat with a "TBA" release date. This chart still spotlights Rockstar Games’ "Grand Theft Auto 6" (GTA 6), which is now officially slated for a November 19, 2026 debut, as well as "WWE 2K26" scheduled for March 13, 2026, and several other undated projects including the next installment in the "BioShock" series.

Alan Lewis, a spokesperson for Take-Two, explained the company's reasoning in a statement to Variety: "We made the difficult decision to pause development on that SKU. Our focus continues to be delivering quality post-launch content for players on the ongoing improvements to optimize the game. We’re continuing to collaborate closely with our friends at Nintendo. We have ‘PGA Tour 2K25’ coming out and ‘WWE 2K26’ [for Switch 2], and we’re incredibly excited about bringing more of our titles to that platform in the future."

This strategic pivot comes at a time when Take-Two is doubling down on its biggest franchises. The company’s Rockstar Games division recently made headlines of its own by pulling user-created content from "GTA Online" that depicted the assassination of political commentator Charlie Kirk. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick addressed the controversy directly, telling Variety, "When content violates our terms of service, we aggressively act, as we did in this instance. I actually am incredibly impressed with this company, on the one hand, it appropriately enables users to engage — that’s why we are in the role-playing service business, for example — and we have other areas where consumers can engage. At the same time, the safety of our consumers is of paramount importance. So this is not an area where I have to say, like, ‘Oh, you know, it’s a gray area. Judgment is required.’ No. Terms of Service were violated, that’s end of discussion, thank you very much."

But the news didn’t stop there. In the same round of interviews, Zelnick tackled persistent online rumors that Rockstar might delay the release of physical copies of "GTA 6" until 2027 in an effort to prevent leaks. He was unequivocal: "That’s not the plan." The much-anticipated "GTA 6" is still set for its November 19, 2026 launch, a date that fans have been anxiously awaiting after the game was delayed twice in the past year.

The anticipation for "GTA 6" is, in part, fueled by the staggering success of its predecessor. As of February 3, 2026, "GTA 5" has crossed a jaw-dropping 225 million copies sold—a figure that cements its status as one of the best-selling video games of all time. This milestone was revealed alongside Take-Two’s latest financial results, which showed $1.76 billion in net bookings for the November-December 2025 quarter. Despite this impressive revenue, the company reported a GAAP net loss of $929.9 million, or 50 cents per share, a significant increase from the previous year’s $125.2 million loss (71 cents per share). Nevertheless, Wall Street had forecast $1.58 billion in net bookings, meaning Take-Two surpassed expectations on that front.

Financials aside, Strauss Zelnick has also been making waves with his candid takes on artificial intelligence and its role in game development. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz published on February 3, 2026, Zelnick emphasized that while Take-Two has "always made extensive use of AI in tools," generative AI "has zero part in what Rockstar Games is building" for "GTA 6." He elaborated, "On the topic of AI, I've been enthusiastic since the very beginning. This company's products have always been built with machine learning and artificial intelligence. We've actually always been a leader in the space, and right now we have hundreds of pilots and implementations across our company, including within our studios. And we're already seeing instances where generative AI tools are driving costs and time efficiencies."

However, Zelnick drew a clear line when it comes to creativity. He told GamesIndustry.biz, "There is no creativity that can exist by definition in any AI model, because it is data-driven." He reinforced the point that "tools by themselves do not create great entertainment properties" and that the magic of Rockstar’s worlds lies in their handcrafted nature. "Specifically with regards to GTA 6, Generative AI has zero part in what Rockstar Games is building. Their worlds are handcrafted. That's what differentiates them. They're built from the ground up, building by building, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood. They're not procedurally generated, they shouldn't be. That's what makes great entertainment."

This philosophy stands in contrast to recent industry trends, especially after Google's announcement of its experimental AI "playable world" tool, Project Genie, which sent Take-Two's stock price plunging to an 11-month low. Zelnick’s remarks seem designed to reassure both investors and fans that Rockstar’s crown jewels, like "GTA 6," will not be built by algorithms, but by human hands—a stance that resonates with those who value the artistry and detail that have become the studio’s trademarks.

Looking ahead, Zelnick remains confident that Take-Two will hit its ambitious targets. Despite the turbulence of repeated "GTA 6" delays—the last of which was announced in October 2025, pushing the release to November 19, 2026—he told GamesIndustry.biz that he is "confident that date would be hit." The company has also increased its financial guidance for the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, signaling optimism about its pipeline and ongoing projects.

While the pausing of "Borderlands 4" for Switch 2 may disappoint some, Take-Two's focus on quality, safety, and human creativity in its flagship titles is clear. With "GTA 6" now firmly on the calendar and the company’s leadership doubling down on its creative philosophy, the next year promises to be both challenging and exciting for Take-Two and its legions of fans.

In the end, Take-Two’s latest moves underscore a commitment to both innovation and tradition—leveraging AI for efficiency while insisting that great games are still, at their heart, the work of talented people.