Grand Theft Auto 6 Is Finally On The Way, Rockstar Confirms
Rockstar Games had a major announcement this week with the news that Grand Theft Auto 6 is in development and will releasing
This article is more than 2 years old
Since it’s too early to be an April Fools’ joke, it must be true. The next installment in the Grand Theft Auto franchise, the highly-anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6, is finally in its active development stage. Rockstar Games has confirmed earlier today that it’s currently working on the next game in the series, which is presumably but not yet officially titled Grand Theft Auto 6. Is it really happening? Has Rockstar finally heard the fandom’s prayers and outcries? Or have they simply exhausted their monetary resources and are now looking to replenish with another snatch-and-grab release?
Well, at this point, the fans of the series are so starved for the new release they don’t really care. The development of Grand Theft Auto 6 is well underway, according to a report published by The Hollywood Reporter, and the confirmation actually came neatly tucked away in a community update of all-things GTA, including GTA 5. That one was originally released more than nine years ago, along with it’s enduring GTA Online component. Rockstar Games hasn’t shared any further details on the projects but has asked the franchise’s fandom to stay tuned to Rockstar Newswire for more official news.
Given the astronomical success of Grand Theft Auto 5 and Grand Theft Auto Online, the release of GTA 6 seemed like a logical next step for Rockstar Games. However, after years of unverified rumors, failed releases, and spending quite possibly a year or two in development hell, the next entry in the franchise has finally moved from the realm of speculation to the realm of possibility. Rockstar Games is known for running a tight ship when it comes to developing its gaming titles and has often opted to reveal their projects once their development is in its final stages. That could very well be the case with the presumed Grand Theft Auto 6, but the developer hasn’t offered either a release date, the supported platforms, or the gameplay and narrative specifics.
Taking a step back, this last year wasn’t an easy one for Rockstar Games. Not only did they have to implement a series of changes to Grand Theft Auto 5 and remaster the game for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, but they had to offer at least some novelty to their lineup to keep the fandom engaged. So after a series of rumors regarding alleged Grand Theft Auto 6 maps and settings, the title the company revealed was Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — a remastered amalgamation of GTA 3, GTA: Vice City, and GTA San Andreas.
Unfortunately, The Trilogy was so badly remastered that Rockstar Games publicly apologized for the botched release and offered classic versions of the games for free. And that was after the company tried to fix the remastered titles through numerous patches and fixes. So, the company should really thread carefully with the upcoming release, considering that more than 155 million players have high expectations for Grand Theft Auto 6.
High expectations are now even higher as Rockstar has to justify a long-development period and redeem itself for the botched release of the previous game, which begs the following question: can Rockstar Games really pull this off and deliver a functional, working game? Or should fans prepare for another heartbreak when the purported Grand Theft Auto 6 turns out to be a poorly designed snatch-and-grab release? What say you, Rockstar Games? It’s all eyes on you now.
