GTA 6 May Release Sooner, But at a Big Cost

According to a new report, GTA 6 is still years away. Naturally, this report didn't sit well with Grand Theft Auto fans, who were so angry and upset that GTA 6 was trending on Twitter at one point. That said, the same report mentions that Rockstar Games is flirting with remedying this by releasing the game earlier than currently planned, however, it would come at a cost.

Rockstar Games has earned a reputation for making massive, breathing open-world games. Grand Theft Auto V was unrivaled when it launched in 2013, and Red Dead Redemption 2 remains the most impressive open-world game to date. That said, continuously raising the bar comes at a cost. Not only did these two games take a very long time to make, but both titles had an abounding amount of money dumped into each. Rockstar Games makes the most expensive games in the business, and it can afford to do this because Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption are money printers, especially the former.

There are more costs than just time and money though. Over the years, Rockstar Games has built a reputation for extreme crunch. As a result, it's reportedly having trouble retaining talent, which will be a problem going forward. That said, the aforementioned report says the developer has been working hard to fix this culture, but this means game development is going to take even longer.

As a result of this, Rockstar Games is apparently thinking about releasing a smaller, "moderately size" game, which it will then expand with regular updates over time. The thinking behind this is not only will it help mitigate stress and crunch, but allow Rockstar to release more than one game a decade.

For some, this would be welcomed news. However, others are worried this will lead to less content, especially of the single-player variety.

That is bad news

— Sean (@TwitchPrimeLoot) April 15, 2020

They need to just make everyone wait as long as it takes and release the game when it’s ready they should release games when they think they’re ready. If they release a unfinished game then I guess their downward spiral has already begun that didn’t take long after losing dan 🤦‍♂️

— Austin Dunn (@stiffygoats9) April 15, 2020

Of course for now, not only is this just an option, but it's "reportedly" an option. In other words, even if Rockstar Games is considering this -- it may not be -- it doesn't mean it will go this direction with the game.

At the moment of publishing, GTA 6 has not been announced or confirmed by Rockstar Games. That said, for more coverage on the game -- including recent news, rumors, and leaks -- be sure to take a moment and check out all of our past and all of our most recent articles pertaining to the rumored new installment of Grand Theft Auto by clicking right here.