Why Grand Theft Auto VI has been delayed again and how it'll affect other games

The merchandise of Grand Theft Auto VI, expected to beryllium 1 of the best-selling games of each time, is delayed erstwhile again.

The sequel to the 2013 blockbuster Grand Theft Auto (GTA) V was primitively expected to beryllium released this autumn but was pushed backmost earlier this twelvemonth by developers Rockstar Games.

Now, it has been delayed erstwhile again, pushed to November 2026.

Why is it being delayed again?

Rockstar says the hold volition springiness them other clip to "finish the crippled with the level of polish you person travel to expect and deserve".

That's not a astonishment to George Osborn, games manufacture commentator and writer of the Games Industry Memo.

"For thing that is arsenic enormous, arsenic large budget, arsenic precocious accumulation worth arsenic this, and fixed Rockstar's past arsenic a institution of delaying worldly until it's perfectly ready, it's not hugely unexpected," helium told Sky News.

The expectations astir GTA VI are high.

While different caller releases look to person decided "less is more", Rockstar is apt moving with a fund of implicit £1bn and fans who person been waiting implicit a decennary for the caller game, according to Mr Osborn.

"If you look astatine the Indiana Jones that came retired past year, it looks great, it's truly amusive to play, but it really lone lasts astir 20 hours successful presumption of crippled time, not overmuch much than a prestige TV series," helium said.

"But [GTA6] mightiness beryllium 1 of the fistful of gigantic games that truly does request to beryllium that polished to conscionable the expectations of consumers, but besides the ridiculously precocious accumulation standards they person wrong Rockstar itself."

Could interior problems astatine Rockstar person thing to bash with the delay?

Rockstar already deed the headlines erstwhile this week aft the workplace was accused of union-busting erstwhile astir 30 members of unit were fired.

The national representing the workers, the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB), said the unit who were fired were each taking portion successful commercialized national activity.

A Rockstar spokesperson told Bloomberg, however, that the workplace had taken enactment against "a tiny number" of employees for "distributing and discussing confidential accusation successful a nationalist forum".

Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's genitor company, has besides launched aggregate rounds of occupation cuts crossed its concern successful the past 2 years.

However, Mr Osborn doesn't deliberation these interior issues volition person impacted GTA VI's release.

"For Take-Two, Grand Theft Auto is fundamentally the aureate egg," helium said.

"They're waiting for the goose to lay, truthful they're not excessively fussed [about] reductions of headcount astatine Rockstar."

As for the workers who were fto spell this week, helium said his "gut feeling" is their departures are astir apt not capable to "push the needle" successful presumption of merchandise dates.

Sky News has approached Take-Two Interactive for comment.

Could the hold beryllium a bully thing?

There's plentifulness of vexation astir the ongoing delays but possibly bully things travel to those who wait…

"Better it travel retired bully than rushed, but inactive disappointing… Hope they astatine slightest springiness america trailer 2 arsenic an apology," said 1 gamer connected X.

As good arsenic giving the workplace much clip to cleanable the game, the hold whitethorn besides mean the radical moving connected GTA VI are enactment nether little aggravated pressure, according to Mr Osborn.

"The institution came successful for a batch of disapproval successful the run-up to erstwhile releases for fundamentally crunching excessively hard, getting the unit moving excessively hard connected the task successful the run-up to it, burning them out," helium said.

In 2018, Rockstar faced a backlash aft workers described aggravated moving conditions successful the run-up to large releases similar Red Dead Redemption and GTA V.

"During the GTA IV era, it was similar moving with a weapon to your caput 7 days a week," posted 1 erstwhile worker astatine the time.

Since then, Rockstar has tried to betterment its moving culture.

"The repercussion of that [reform] is fundamentally it takes them adjacent longer to marque worldly due to the fact that the accumulation standards are truthful high," said Mr Osborn.

"For GTA VI, it has to beryllium cleanable retired of the gate. Otherwise, it's going to beryllium hard for them to get towards that £1bn people they request to marque the wealth back."

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What does this mean for different games?

GTA VI is expected to devour up crippled income arsenic soon arsenic it is released. Its past iteration, GTA V, is inactive the second-best-selling crippled of each clip (Minecraft is the best-selling).

"It's going to conscionable predominate everything and instrumentality the aerial retired of the room," said Mr Osborn.

As such, the games manufacture has been connected tenterhooks waiting to spot if Rockstar would marque their May 2026 deadline, truthful they could debar their ain crippled releases being overshadowed.

"The contiguous winners are astir apt Resident Evil Requiem successful February and First Light, the James Bond crippled that is releasing successful March," said Mr Osborn.

"Both of those games [now] person a much, overmuch clearer tally into the year."

As for games similar The Elder Scrolls VI oregon Fable, some perchance being released adjacent autumn, they whitethorn present beryllium seeing if they tin determination their timelines to debar clashing with Grand Theft Auto VI.

"Ultimately, erstwhile the GTA VI merchandise day moves, the full manufacture moves astir it."

Mr Osborn besides counts himself arsenic 1 of the winners of the deadline move, arsenic his publication connected the games manufacture tin present beryllium released acold successful beforehand of Grand Theft Auto VI.

"For idiosyncratic who's trying to person radical who similar video games to walk £25 connected something, it's truly useful that thing that's going to outgo £70, £80 has conscionable been shoved retired of the calendar."