With the new console generation on the way this holiday, many are wondering what’s next for Rockstar Games. The obvious answer would be Grand Theft Auto 6, which reportedly has been in development for some time. Considering Grand Theft Auto 5 has quickly become the highest-selling game of all time, and Rockstar Games has not broken from its GTA-Red Dead development cycle in over a decade, it would make the most sense. Grand Theft Auto‘s massive popularity is a double-edged sword, and especially with expectations set so high.
The biggest obstacle for the presumably upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 is certainly going to be managing and perhaps even exceeding the expectations of fans waiting for the game. Even Red Dead Redemption 2, which was still widely considered a huge critical and commercial success, was not immune to criticisms of the innovations the game made. Grand Theft Auto 6 certainly isn’t either, meaning the previous games’ massive popularity and success is setting the bar extremely high.
For one thing, the wait and anticipation for Grand Theft Auto games is always seemingly long. Marketing cycles for Rockstar Games’ titles generally aren’t typically like other big triple-A games. What that means is there’s usually a long silence between major releases for Rockstar Games, with very few teases and gameplay trailers in between. That’s exactly what the lead-up to Grand Theft Auto 5 was like, with a single teaser released in 2011, and then silence up until 2013 when Grand Theft Auto 5 finally released. A lot of that is because Rockstar Games owns a degree of pedigree from its releases, so the publisher can typically relish in hype and anticipation.
However, there’s a reason why that’s a double-edged sword, especially when it comes to the games industry news cycle. Rumors, leaks, reports from insiders, all of this stuff can simultaneously drive hype and concern for an upcoming game. For now, Grand Theft Auto 6 isn’t in a bad spot in terms of release anticipation, but that could be the future as release anxiety amps up. If a Grand Theft Auto game is currently in development for PS5/Xbox Series X, then it’s going to be at least another year or two wait until the game’s revealed. Perhaps the game is further along than expected, which would be a nice surprise, but don’t expect a reveal until late 2021 at the earliest.
In the wake of Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, two Rockstar Games titles that are now part of the top 20 best-selling video games of all time, there’s certainly a high bar that the next Grand Theft Auto game needs to reach. Grand Theft Auto 6 has to balance innovation with familiarity, more so than ever. Places like the shooting mechanics or interacting with the world can be improved (a la Red Dead Redemption 2), but the scope and scale of the game needs to be similar to Grand Theft Auto 5. Reports of a “moderately sized” Grand Theft Auto game could pose a concern for fans, as having a good size sandbox to wreak havoc in is what makes the franchise successful.
There’s also the concern of what mechanics from Red Dead Redemption 2 could transfer over into Grand Theft Auto 5, and what fans may expect vs. what’s included in the game. Obviously the interaction mechanics in Red Dead Redemption 2 functioned well in its microcosmic world, but the same likely wouldn’t apply in a game like Grand Theft Auto 6. Some of the refinements made in Red Dead Redemption 2‘s shooting and inventory mechanics would almost certainly carry over into Grand Theft Auto 6. However, players aren’t likely going to be limited to four weapons like in Red Dead Redemption 2, as that would largely take away from the typical Grand Theft Auto fun.
It’ll be interesting to see the game release a while from now and what exactly the carryover is, but time could be working against Grand Theft Auto 6. If the crunch reports were true and development is shifting towards a more incremental development model, there’s the real possibility Grand Theft Auto 6 releases small and expands over time. For some that could be off-putting for a game to be reliant on content updates to become full-sized, especially for a series that’s known for crafting large and highly detailed worlds.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is reportedly in development.
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