It will be a little while before we get to play GTA 6, but analysts are already backing it to be one of the biggest game launches ever.
With Grand Theft Auto 5 proving to be an enduring smash-hit, it will certainly take something special to claim its crown.
There aren’t many games out there that could go toe to toe with a GTA title that refuses to drop out the sales charts for very long.
But with at least 12 to 36 months to wait until a GTA 6 release date, there are industry watchers who believe the next Rockstar project will be big.
Some of this will be down to having a new Grand Theft Auto game on the market, having seen GTA V launch back in 2013.
But there are also other factors to watch when it comes to measuring the future success of the mega-franchise.
And with Rockstar Games working on GTA 6 for a few more years, there will be ample time for the PS5 and Xbox Series X player base to build up.
And that’s without counting the enduring popularity of PC gaming, with a real hunger within the community to run something technically challenging.
With the PS5 alone projected to sell 66 million units by 2024, there should be plenty of people waiting to make the next Grand Theft Auto game a success.
Another factor that analysts are pointing out is the fact that other big games have struggled within the past few months.
As pointed out by Seeking Alpha, Cyberpunk 2077 has failed to live up to expectations, and even though it has sold a lot of copies, CD Projekt Red’s popularity has taken a hit.
The report from Seeking Alpha explains: “CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077 launch makes Take-Two’s Red Dead Redemption and GTA open worlds seem even more impressive. The gaming community’s eyes are now firmly set on GTA 6 now that Cyberpunk 2077 has underperformed so dramatically.
“While the anticipation for new GTA games has always been high, it is perhaps unprecedented for GTA 6. The underwhelming nature of Cyberpunk 2077 is putting only more attention on GTA 6.
“Take-Two is one of the few major video game companies left to not have catastrophic releases in recent memory, at least for its main franchises.
“Even the once-revered Bethesda has fumbled with its incredibly disappointing Fallout 76 release. In fact, the controversy surrounding Fallout 76 all but destroyed Bethesda’s hard-gained reputation in the eyes of many customers.
“Rather than rushing to push out incomplete AAA title for short-term gain, Take-Two has and continues to take the opposite approach of perfecting its major franchise titles before releasing them.
“This has allowed Take-Two to cultivate an incredibly large and dedicated customer base for its flagship franchises GTA and Red Dead Redemption. In fact, Take-Two’s latest Red Dead Redemption release has been hailed as a masterpiece by many in the industry.
And while many gamers have been left frustrated by having to wait so long for GTA 6, the delay in release date might come to be seen as a strength among investors and gamers alike.
This could lead to the GTA 6 release date beginning a new phase in growth for the Grand Theft Auto that could even put GTA 5 in the shad.
The report adds: “Take-Two’s focus on quality should pay off massively with its next GTA release. GTA 6 will likely shatter GTA 5’s already astronomical sales figures given how much more popular the franchise has become since GTA 5 was released.
“Moreover, Cyberpunk 2077’s sales success (13 million copies in two weeks) despite its massive issues showcases the general demand for a compelling open world game.
“Given the advancements in computing technology, the growth of gaming, and Rockstar’s resources, it would not be surprising to see GTA 6 blow past even GTA 5 sales figures.”
The long wait for the next Grand Theft Auto game will remain a source of contention among fans and with GTA Online providing such an important part of the GTA 5 sales drive, it will be interesting to see what Rockstar Games is planning to do next.
