Rockstar has long followed a specific approach regarding the release of its games: consoles like PS5 and Xbox first. PC gamers usually go empty-handed at release and have to wait months, if not years. A former developer of the studio now thinks that could change for GTA 6.
Which developer is speaking here? This is the former developer at Rockstar North, Obbe Vermeij. He took on the role of Technical Director for GTA 3 and was mainly responsible for level design and the programming of the weather.
Later projects included Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and GTA 4. He left the studio in 2009, but he enjoys talking about Rockstar’s mindset and provides insights.
For the 17th anniversary of GTA 4, he gave a small retrospective of that time on X. Obbe Vermeij talked about his experiences back then during the development, made some speculations regarding GTA 6, and also explained a frustrating approach by Rockstar: the delayed release of the PC version compared to PS5 and Xbox.
However, according to the developer, this delay in release could change in the future.
PC gamers are no longer a minority
What could change? The user “@hard8_times” asked Obbe Vermeij on x.com whether he knows why the PC is always the last platform when it comes to releases at Rockstar.
According to the developer, this has to do with the fact that GTA is a console game and that GTA has the most players on consoles.
However, Obbe believes that this may have changed:
“In the past, much more money went into the console versions. Now that this has changed, the PC version will hopefully be closer to release.”
When asked further if he can confirm that it has changed, Obbe says: “I think you are right. PC gaming has increased significantly, but for GTA 6, the majority of sales will probably still occur on consoles.”
It is clear that PC gaming has increased significantly in recent years, and although console platforms still have a dominant presence, PC gamers are no longer a minority that can be ignored. It remains to be seen when GTA 6 will be released, as the developers are still keeping quiet. More about GTA 6 can be found here: GTA 6 is so ambitious that Rockstar reportedly built an entire building just for the game.
