“We’re trying not to get into the strike zone”: Major publishers prepare to move their games to avoid competition with GTA VI

Three major game publishers have admitted in a statement to The Game Business that they are willing to delay the release of their projects to avoid competition with Rockstar Games’ hotly anticipated crime action game GTA VI.

Image source: Rockstar Games

The first new GTA in 12 years is currently scheduled for fall 2025, and game companies are holding off on confirming Q4 release plans until Rockstar makes its move.

«Rockstar games are always sucking a lot of money out of the market, and most importantly, time. We don’t want to be anywhere near [this black hole] and are working on several plans for our projects,” said the head of one of the largest publishers.

Electronic Arts has previously expressed willingness to delay the new Battlefield to avoid GTA VI (Image source: Eurogamer)

«”Basically, GTA VI is a huge meteorite, and we’re trying to avoid the impact zone. We’ll push our releases forward or back three weeks to avoid it. Of course, everyone else will do the same,” laments the head of an unnamed studio.

Publishers’ concerns are not unfounded. When it released in September 2013, GTA V took over 50% of gaming revenue in the US and 89% of all video game sales in the UK (and 94% of revenue).

Take-Two is confident about GTA VI’s release date, but there is always a risk of delay (Image source: Rockstar Games)

«”If we push the release beyond 2025 and Rockstar does the same? Will we have time to push the game back or will we have to push it further?” the head of the European studio worries.

The Game Business journalists believe that Nintendo will benefit from the potential delay of GTA VI. The company plans to promote Switch 2 this fall, and the lack of such a high-profile release will only play into its hands.