GTA 6 is the most anticipated game of all time and is set to shatter records when it launches this fall. However, its success could have a hand in the downfall of others during this tricky time for the industry.
It was just last week that we heard from PlayStation’s Indie Boss Greg Rice who shared chatter from developers and his own thoughts about GTA VI’s impending launch. Whilst Rice felt positive about Rockstar’s upcoming release as one that will sell consoles and other games as sales flatline, some companies are less optimistic.
This negative sentiment has continued. Ben Porter of analytics firm Newzoo spoke with PC Gamer at GDC 2025 to share his thoughts. For the past year, many of the games set to release in 2025 have not been sharing exact release dates.
This is because they’ve been holding off giving a date that could be close to GTA 6’s date and having to move it later. There’s even a chance GTA 6 does not make the Fall 2025 window like reputable journalists have suggested.
Options Available Are Rough
In his interview with PC Gamer, Porter ponders “If you’re a game company who’s holding its breath waiting for GTA 6 to get out, and then it gets delayed by three, four, five, six months, what do you do?” It’s a real possibility and a real headache.
The options available to game publishers are either wait for a GTA 6 delay then drop it in that vacuum. Many games, aside from Call of Duty, will be avoiding Fall already. If the studios’ game are not ready for a fall, they may have to spend another 6-12 months in the oven until the nuclear fallout from GTA 6 is clear. This costs a lot of money too.
Porter says “You either have to be able to launch into that big black hole that’s been left open now, or you have to extend your run rate by an additional six months—I’m certain some companies are going to tank as a result of that, right?”
What do you think will happen to other games and their studios when GTA VI releases? Let us know down in the comments below.
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