Asha Sharma Seals Decade-Long Take-Two Pact as GTA 6 Tops All-Time Microsoft Store Pre-Orders
With nine days left before the worldwide launch on Thursday, November 19, 2026, Microsoft has made a decisive strategic move ahead of our return to Leonida. Taking to social media today, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who succeeded Phil Spencer at the helm of Microsoft's gaming division earlier this year, officially announced a new 10-year strategic partnership with Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games and 2K. Accompanying the announcement, an official update on Xbox Wire confirmed that Grand Theft Auto VI has already become the most pre-ordered game of all time on the Microsoft Store, while revealing that several iconic Rockstar Games titles will join Xbox Cloud Gaming in the months ahead.
A Decade-Long Strategic Pact Between Xbox and Take-Two Interactive
While much of the pre-release promotional spotlight around Vice City has focused on console hardware bundles, Asha Sharma's announcement anchors a long-term infrastructural alliance directly with Take-Two Interactive's leadership. Outlining the immediate scope of the ten-year agreement, the Xbox chief shared a clear message with the community:
"Today marks the first step in our new 10-year strategic partnership with Take-Two. GTA VI, already the most pre-ordered game ever on Microsoft Store, will be playable on Xbox One through cloud gaming when it launches on November 19."
By locking in a 10-year framework with Take-Two Interactive, Microsoft secures deep cloud and platform integration across Rockstar Games and 2K releases well into the next decade, bridging current-generation consoles, cloud servers, and future Xbox hardware.
All-Time Microsoft Store Pre-Order Record and November 19 Launch Schedule
Alongside the ten-year deal, Asha Sharma and the Xbox Wire team highlighted the unprecedented digital demand on Xbox platforms. Still more than a week away from release day, GTA 6 has officially shattered the all-time record for the most pre-ordered title in Microsoft Store history, surpassing every previous blockbuster launch on Microsoft's digital storefront.
To ensure a smooth day-one experience, Microsoft is urging players on Xbox Series X|S to pre-load the game ahead of time. Digital access will unlock on November 19 at 1:00 AM ET (6:00 AM GMT / 7:00 AM CET). Players who purchase the digital version and hold a qualifying Xbox Game Pass subscription with Stream Your Own Game support will also be able to stream the title at launch via Xbox Cloud Gaming on both Xbox Series X|S and last-generation Xbox One consoles. As detailed in Rockstar's breakdown of the official GTA 6 30 FPS and Xbox One cloud technical specs, streaming the game through the cloud on Xbox consoles utilizes Xbox Series S graphics settings, while native local playback on Xbox Series X|S delivers the highest visual fidelity on the Xbox ecosystem.
GTA V, Red Dead Redemption 2, and More Rockstar Classics Headed to Xbox Cloud Gaming
Beyond the day-one cloud rollout for Grand Theft Auto VI, today's Xbox Wire briefing revealed the second pillar of the ten-year partnership with Take-Two Interactive. Microsoft confirmed that several major entries from the Rockstar Games catalog will be added to Xbox Cloud Gaming over the coming months, headlined by Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2:
"We're thrilled to bring Grand Theft Auto VI to more Xbox players at launch, and we'll also be adding more titles from Rockstar Games to Xbox Cloud Gaming, including Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2, and more in the coming months."
Expanding cloud support to both Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto V underscores how Take-Two plans to leverage Microsoft's cloud infrastructure to keep its biggest open-world franchises accessible across older living-room hardware, PC browsers, smart TVs, and handheld devices.
My Take on the Spec Sheet
Tracking the North American industry briefings over the past few weeks, I noticed plenty of analysts assuming Xbox would take a back seat during the GTA 6 launch window against Sony's marketing push. Signing a 10-year strategic partnership directly with Take-Two is Asha Sharma's first defining power move as Xbox CEO. Instead of fighting a traditional bundle war, Microsoft is using its cloud infrastructure to turn tens of millions of aging Xbox One consoles into day-one Leonida machines on November 19, while bringing Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA V into the cloud ecosystem right behind it. Breaking the all-time Microsoft Store pre-order record nine days before launch shows just how strongly Xbox players are responding.
Official Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer
While we count down the final days to November 19 on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Cloud Gaming, revisit Rockstar Games' official second trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI below:
Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6)
Explore official trailers, technical specs and all latest coverage for Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6).
Originally from Lyon, France, gaming journalist Bastien "Orion" relocated nearly a decade ago to Quebec City's Saint-Roch district, right in the heart of eastern Canada's development studio hub. Before crossing the Atlantic, he honed his versatile reporting style across classic French gaming web portals and specialist television outlets in the 2000s and 2010s, notably with JeuxVideo.fr and JeuxNews. Equally passionate about AAA blockbusters, North American studio culture, retro preservation, and community modding projects, he anchors Pro-Gamer's transatlantic desk and real-time coverage of US and Japanese industry announcements.
