Even though Rockstar Games did not release a new title in 2016-2017, the developer enjoyed tremendous success thanks to continued sales of Grand Theft Auto 5 and support for GTA Online. Microtransactions within the multiplayer experience continue to be a huge moneymaker for Rockstar and Take-Two, with some even claiming the game had its best quarter ever these last few months. Competing reports doubt that GTA Online did that well, but the funds are still coming in regardless.
While Grand Theft Auto 5’s success is no secret, the bigger reveal comes as a byproduct of those strong Q1 2018 numbers. According to Take-Two it is the success of GTA 5 and GTA Online that has extended the life of those products.
Take-Two’s quote suggests that Rockstar’s focus, at least on the GTA team, is GTA Online content, which is apparently still very lucrative. Rockstar regularly rolls out updates with new missions, events, and items to collect, and players are still willing to spend money on them. This also puts Grand Theft Auto 6 on the backburner it seems, with no indication of when development might start.
An early resume listing led to speculation that Grand Theft Auto 6 might have started mo-cap sessions, but it wasn’t long before the CV was proven fake. At any rate, Take-Two’s financial report pegs any possibility of development less likely.
That doesn’t come as too much of a surprise considering that Rockstar Games is working on Red Dead Redemption 2, which is due out in spring 2018. Red Dead is going to be a huge seller no matter when it releases, so much so that other publishers were celebrating when the game was delayed out of fall 2017.
But even then, Take-Two doesn’t seem to think Red Dead Redemption 2 will hit Grand Theft Auto type numbers, which means that a GTA 6 is inevitable if slightly delayed. Once Red Dead Redemption 2 is out, then fans can expect the timer to start for GTA 6 teases and reveals. No doubt, the game will enter development – it’s only a matter of when.
Source: Take-Two
