Several anonymous publishers of video games have revealed how they are dealing with the release of GTA 6. And dealing is the right term here, as they are planning their own games around Rockstar’s title.
What are the plans for their own release? Some major publishers, whose identities have not been disclosed, told Game Business that they are ready to shift their own game releases. And there’s a good reason for that: Forecasts suggest that GTA 6 will be very successful.
One publisher revealed that Rockstar would “pull money and time out of the market” every time. The team already has several plans on how they want to release their own games.
Another publisher added that it is difficult to find a free time for new games in which they can stand out. Time is thus the worse evil. Another studio head even used a harsh metaphor for this:
GTA 6 is basically a huge meteor, and we will simply stay away from the explosion zone. We will shift our releases three weeks forward or backward to avoid it. The problem is, of course, that everyone will do the same. So three to four weeks before or after GTA 6, there will be a lot of games releasing their content in the supposedly safe zone.
Other bosses revealed that they do not want to swim against the current, but rather need to be ready to win back players when the hype around GTA 6 subsides.
The release even affects live service games. Two of the largest developers of live service games revealed that they have no major updates planned for their games during this period.
The hype has already been triggered by the following trailer:
GTA 6 does not have a clear release yet
What is the problem? So far, there is only an approximate release window for GTA 6 and no fixed date. Consequently, the heads of major publishers must prepare multiple dates and weigh when to reveal the release of their own games to the public.
One boss reveals that they want to release their own game early in the fall, should GTA 6 release in late October. An alternative would be to schedule the games for late November 2025 – right in time for Black Friday.
If one simply plans their game for 2026 to be safe, they worry that GTA 6 would do the same. It is still not set in stone when the title will be released.
When is GTA 6 supposed to be released? Take-Two plans to release the action game in fall 2025. An exact date is still pending, and it could be that the release needs to be postponed due to development difficulties or other reasons. So far, it is only clear that the release of Borderlands 4 is not supposed to coincide with the release of GTA 6.
GTA 6 could even have such a significant influence that it might influence the prices of other games. Other publishers are likely considering a price increase. However, a Twitch streamer does not see this as a problem. Why, you can find out on MeinMMO: GTA 6 could increase the price for all AAA games: Streamer on Twitch sees it as no problem
