Launching a game next to GTA 6 is a shot in the foot. „Avoid this week,” analysts warn
Analysts believe that the delay of GTA 6 will not hurt the game's popularity, and we are in for the release of the decade, which other developers should avoid.
The delay of Grand Theft Auto VI to November 19th next year has caused quite a stir in the gaming world. Many analysts have chimed in, saying that pushing back the release date won't hurt the game and that nothing can stop it now. However, they point out that the title won't fix the issues the industry is dealing with.
Delay will increase popularity
A long development cycle can often kill expectations for most games, but it's different for GTA 6. Gaming industry researcher Joost van Dreunen told GamesRadar+ that the recent delay will not only have no impact on Take-Two but will also increase the popularity of the highly anticipated game.
Rockstar delaying GTA 6 is a flex. The studio knows that anticipation is its most valuable currency, and it's making the most of it. Historically, every major GTA entry has slipped at least once, and each time the end result justified the wait.
The excitement surrounding GTA 6 is huge, which, according to researchers, is also influenced by fatigue with ubiquitous live service games. He said that Rockstar Games' commitment to making their games as polished as possible might seem a bit "old-school" these days, but that's actually part of what makes them appealing.
Nothing can stop GTA 6
Mat Piscatella from the analytical group Circana seems to share a similar opinion. When asked if there is any force that could prevent GTA 6 from becoming one of the biggest releases of all time, he responded: "No."
The release of this game will be the gaming event of the decade.
In this case, the delay or even the studio revolt after some developers got laid off doesn't really matter. Serkan Toto, CEO of the consulting firm Kantan Games, believes that Take-Two likely didn't care about this scandal at all.
It's such a big organization that I doubt Take-Two's management gave thought to the fired workers for more than 1 minute.
The fact that the release of GTA 6 will be such a huge event also affects other developers. Mat Piscatela usually thinks they should be a bit brave and not stress too much about competing releases. However, in the case of GTA 6, the situation is different.
I'd make a very big exception and would want to avoid that week if possible.
Rockstar Games
Serkan Toto also claims that competing with GTA 6 is nothing short of suicide. He thinks the 2026 holidays will be all about Rockstar Games, but he also wouldn't be surprised if they push the release to 2027.
GTA 6 itself would sell extremely well even if [Rockstar parent company] Take-Two set the release to December 31, 2026, at midnight. Any blockbuster previously planned for a holiday 2026 is very likely not happening now, as going against GTA 6 for such games would be suicide.
Rockstar's game won't heal the industry
However, according to Joost van Dreunen, such a massive launch won't be enough to heal the issues plaguing the gaming industry: mass layoffs, failures, price hikes, and many canceled games. The researcher thinks that people who see GTA 6 as some kind of miracle cure are being way too hopeful, and their initial excitement is going to crash and burn pretty fast.
After the high comes the hangover. I realize that many in the industry are looking forward to this undoubtedly pivotal moment. There's even a somewhat naive expectation that this one release will reverse the industry's current direction. It won't.
He predicts that after a "sobering period," investors will quite quickly move their capital elsewhere, as they will see no other big hits on the horizon. This will end up lowering the overall value of the industry.
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Author: Martin Bukowski
Graduate of Electronics and Telecommunications at the Gdańsk University of Technology, who decided to dedicate his life to video games. In his childhood, he would get lost in the Gothic's Valley of Mines and "grind for gold" in League of Legends. Twenty years later, games still entertain him just as much. Today, he considers the Persona series and soulslike titles from From Software as his favorite games. He avoids consoles, and a special place in his heart is reserved for PC. In his spare time, he works as a translator, is creating his first game, or spends time watching movies and series (mainly animated ones).
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