GTA 6 has long remained a mystery to the gaming industry. The sequel to one of the most popular franchises of all time is eagerly awaited by hundreds of millions of gamers, who will be thrilled to hear that Rockstar has officially confirmed its existence.
[Mis à jour le 04 février 2021 à 17h37] Let’s go back in time a bit. A little less than ten years ago, GTA 5 was released, an open-world narrative game that would soon establish itself as one of the biggest hits of all time, exporting to all platforms and accounting for more than 155 million copies sold. A titanic success which confirmed the status of a juggernaut of the Rockstar series, and whetted the appetites of fans for a sequel of the same caliber. After more than nine years of silence, Rockstar has officially confirmed in a statement that GTA 6 is in development. All information in detail.
Rockstar spoke, and Twitter ignited. Through a blog note dedicated to the future of GTA Online and relayed by several journalists including @Nibel on the platform of the little blue bird, the studio has confirmed that GTA sixth of the name is in development. A news which, without surprising the majority of the world of gaming, was greeted with jubilation since it is the first time that the company officially confirms the arrival of this monster of gaming. Taking a closer look at the lines above, Rockstar confirms that “active development of the next entry in the Gran Theft Auto franchise is well underway.” and that the studio “[est] looking forward to sharing more news on this when [il] will be ready.“Crucial information, which remains very meager with regard to a possible exit window.
This is the news that has ignited the web for a few months. Jez Corden, respected editor of Windows Central discussed a possible takeover of Take Two Interactive, the mega-studio behind 2K Games and Rockstar Games by Microsoft. The computer giant’s hunger seems insatiable, as we recall, Microsoft recently acquired the catalog of Zenimax Media, and Bethesda games for 7.5 billion dollars. We can quote Jez Corden:
“A few months ago I heard from two of my trusted industry sources that the next major studio or major publisher to be acquired would be Take Two. But that was a long time ago. At the same time, a distributor like Take-Two would take a long time to acquire. But I don’t know, I don’t have any supporting evidence.”
Be careful however, the journalist himself reminds that this information is not confirmed, and in the case of an acquisition of this size, it is better to take this information with tweezers. Because if Microsoft buys Take-Two, it’s a whole section of the video game industry that would fall under the Xbox umbrella. We are talking about 2K, Red Dead Redemption, Bioshock, Mafia and especially Grand Theft Auto, the most famous and lucrative license in the history of video games. Again, difficult to imagine such a scenario, and also difficult to think that, if this acquisition is confirmed, Microsoft would deprive itself of the huge market that is Playstation players for the biggest licenses of Take Two Interactive.
It’s all Twitter that is in turmoil, and for good reason, Grand Theft Auto is one of the most legendary franchises in the history of video games. As a reminder, GTA 5 recently passed the 140 million copies sold mark since its release in 2013, and is still living its glorious days thanks to a GTA Online multiplayer mode frequently refreshed by numerous additions of content. To say that GTA 6 is expected would be an understatement, only Rockstar remains particularly quiet about it. However, according to Tom Henderson and Jason Schreier, it appears to be scheduled for release in 2024-2025.
In addition, the American firm had to review its development methods due to a recent controversy surrounding its practice of “crunch”. This is a time of intense pressure experienced by the employees of a development studio, usually in order to meet the deadlines imposed by the schedule of a new release. This is also why Rockstar seems to have lowered its ambitions with GTA 6, especially in terms of map size. It’s also partly why we shouldn’t expect a release before 2024-2025. A more flexible schedule which should make it possible to better accommodate the development teams, and to ensure a release only on next-gen consoles. We must also keep in mind that this decision makes sense from a marketing point of view. Today the console market is in transition between two generations, and suffers from major supply problems. That’s why waiting for the massive release of new consoles in living rooms around the world before releasing a title like the next Grand Theft Auto seems like a reasonable idea.
Still according to Henderson and Schreier, GTA 6 should take place in a modern world, which contradicts previous rumors about a universe set in the 70s and 80s. Indeed, a contemporary period would correspond more to the ambitions of the online mode, offering many possibilities for collaboration and partnerships with celebrities or labels, like GTA 5 Online. Another recent news concerns the GTA 6 map. There should be several different locations, including a remastered version of the legendary Vice City. This map would be medium in size and should be “scalable”, being able to change over events and post-launch content additions. We also know that this sixth installment, like its eldest, will include several playable characters, including a woman, a first in the hitherto exclusively male universe of Grand Theft Auto.
Although its release date is relatively distant, it would not be illogical to expect GTA 6 to be released only on next-gen consoles. It is very likely that by 2024, these consoles will be ubiquitous in the market, and therefore that this will be the largest audience possible. It should also be remembered that the technical characteristics of the Playstation 5 and the Xbox Series X | S seem much more suitable for a title as ambitious as the next Grand Theft Auto. As for a release on PC, it is very likely although it could take place one or more years after the release on consoles, if we rely on the model of GTA V.
To conclude this article, it is necessary to remember that for the moment Rockstar remains completely silent about the next Grand Theft Auto. Tom Henderson and Jason Schreier may be extremely reliable sources, but no official announcement has yet come to corroborate their allegations. On the other hand, as we have so often been able to repeat about rumors in the world of video games: there is rarely smoke without fire. We will therefore have to wait a little longer to find out more about GTA 6, and before a possible release by 2025.