Why GTA 6 Carries A Heavy Burden And Could Be The Most Important Game Launch Ever

Grand Theft Auto 6 is still a year away assuming it doesn’t encounter any delays, but the gaming industry is pinning an absurd amount of hope on it. Less than three months in, 2024 has been a rough year for the games industry, with various studios closing and thousands of layoffs across companies big and small. It’s in this environment that developers and publishers are seeking to find a game, a moment, to set everything back on track.

Mat Piscatella, veteran games analyst at Circana, says “we're going to get a renewed batch of interest with GTA 6 in particular. There's probably never been a more important thing to ever release in the industry, so no pressure.” This statement goes to show just how high the expectations are for the game, which might go up even higher as Rockstar Games continues its marketing efforts the closer the game’s launch gets.


It's concerning that the video games industry, as large as it is, seems to be betting its future on the release of just one game. The rough patch it currently finds itself in is in large part because of the ballooning costs of creating games like Grand Theft Auto 6, so why is the industry banking on a game such as this one to turn things around? This feels like lessons might not have been learned.

The worst part is that Grand Theft Auto 6 could come out to praise from players and critics alike, yet still not be enough to satisfy investors. Sales will assuredly be strong, but because the game took so long to develop and release, it’s might only be able to turn a modest profit, similar to Kevin Costner's Waterworld. Turning a profit is always good; however, investors these days are looking for nothing but record-breaking numbers. It might be that the game just can’t do enough to meet the lofty expectations set for it.