GTA 6’s Upcoming Release Prompted Other Studios to Delay Their Games

Publishers are delaying video game releases to avoid going head-to-head with Grand Theft Auto VI, according to The Game Business. The highly anticipated title is expected to launch later this year.

The publishers asked to remain anonymous, but their responses and unique industry insight have been published: 

“Rockstar games always suck a lot of money and, more importantly, time out of the market. […] We don’t want to be anywhere near that,” one representative told The Game Business. 

“Even without GTA, it’s immensely difficult to find free time for new games to shine. Time is the real scarcity for us, not money. It’s tough out there,” another executive added. 

The anticipation for Grand Theft Auto 6 is not just felt by new upcoming titles; live-service video game publishers are also supposedly catering their release schedule to accommodate the industry giant. 

According to The Game Business, two developers of “Top 10 live-service games” admitted that they “don’t plan any significant updates to their games during the GTA 6 launch window.” 

By avoiding Grand Theft Auto VI’s release window, video game publishers are inadvertently intensifying competition among their own titles.

“Of course, the problem is everyone is going to do the same. So three to four weeks before or after GTA 6, you’re going to get a load of games dropping content in what they believe will be the safe zone,” a studio executive told The Game Business.

Grand Theft Auto is planned to release in 2025 — GameSpot expects the game to hit 40 million sales and hit $3 billion in revenue. Grand Theft Auto V, the predecessor to the upcoming release, has sold more than 210 million copies worldwide. Sources estimate the game has generated roughly $9 billion in revenue across PC and multiple console generations.