There was a solid reason to suspect that Grand Theft Auto 6 might be planned for launch in 2023 or 2024, but that speculation is off the mark, according to publisher Take-Two. The GTA 6 release date could come during that window, but you shouldn’t be making any substantial bets on that idea.
Analyst Jeff Cohens of the Stephens investment firm (via VentureBeat) took note of the fact that Take-Two plans to double its marketing budget in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024. “We are not sure how much we should be reading into this shift,” Cohens writes, “but we would note that this disclosure accurately predicted the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2 prior to that game’s announcement.”
However, Take-Two now tells GamesIndustry.biz that the planned marketing spend it reported deals with commitments to external companies – not internal developers, like Grand Theft Auto studio Rockstar. As GI.biz notes, Take-Two’s reported marketing budgets “primarily reflect our agreements with major sports leagues and players’ associations”, and that previous marketing spike – the one Cohens attributed to RDR2 – also coincides with big initiatives around its NBA-licensed games. The next spike appears to line up with a deal for future NFL-licensed games.
Recent insider reports suggest that GTA 6 is still in relatively early development, so we’ll likely be waiting some time longer to see what it actually looks like.
For now, there’s no shortage of open-world games to enjoy, even if they might not scratch quite the same itch as a proper new GTA.