Grand Theft Auto 6 doesn’t even have a release date or its second trailer yet, but it’s already making other major publishers rethink their end-of-the-year release schedules.
According to Chris Dring andThe Game Business, a group of three anonymous “major video game publishers” informed him that they’re preparing to delay their games in order to avoid clashing too much with the release of GTA 6, which is currently still slated for fall 2025.
More specifically, they’reholding off on confirming any release datesthat they’ve got scheduled for Q4 of this year, as analysts expect GTA 6 to be by far the biggest release of the year.
Staying Clear Of The Blast Zone
One studio head had an almost apocalyptic description of the projected effect of GTA 6 on the market.
GTA 6 is basically a huge meteor and we will just stay clear of the blast zone.
They go on to say, “We will nudge our releases back or forward three weeks to avoid it. Of course, the problem is everyone is going to do the same.”
Apparently, three to four weeks is generally considered to be the safe zone, so don’t be surprised if you see lots of games and big updates dropping that long before or after GTA 6.
One unnamed exec says that it’s not just about money; the biggest commodity they’d be competing for is players’ time, and that they’re “working up multiple different plans” for their releases.
It’s also not just new games. The Games Business also reached out to two developers of “Top 10 live-service games,” and heard that they aren’t planning to drop any big updates to their games around GTA 6’s launch.
Take-Two CEO Not Worried About Falling PS5, Xbox Series Sales, GTA 6 To Help Uptick In Console Sales
Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick thinks GTA 6 will be able to drive lagging console sales when it’s released later this year.
All that being said, Rockstar has a history of delaying its games, and despite reassurances from Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick that the publisherfeels “really good” about its chances of releasing this year, alarge percentage of fans seem to disagreeand think the game will get pushed back to 2026.
This chance for a delay is another cause of headaches for publishers, who are concerned that such an announcement might come too late for them to move in on a late 2025 release window that would now be missing its “giant meteor,” or that if they push their games back to 2026, a delay to GTA 6 might put them in the danger zone.
Until we know more about GTA 6, though, Rockstar willkeep dangling trailer 2 in front of fans’ noses, and all we can do is speculate about things like possible delays andhow much it’ll cost when it finally drops.
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