The delay of Grand Theft Auto 6 to November 2026 disappointed the general public, but Rockstar's release date shuffling also has a significant impact on competing game development studios.
Speaking to The Game Business about a variety of industry hot topics, Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Shams Jorjani spoke about how GTA 6's delay affects his studio's planning and work on Helldivers 2.
"It gives us a stay of execution," Jorjani said, adding: "Us and everyone else."
Jorjani described the release of GTA 6 as an event that will "blot out the sun in a way unimaginable for everyone else." Rockstar's game releasing six months later than previously announced should give Arrowhead "another six months of uninterrupted work without GTA looming over us." And while Arrowhead tries to plan its content without considering other releases, Jorjani admitted that "GTA has obviously been very hard to avoid."
The ominous shadow of GTA 6 is on the minds of everyone working in the games industry, with one veteran Saints Row developer recently proclaiming that Rockstar is "impossible" to compete with.
With the release date of GTA 6 shifting multiple times, studios have had to adjust their own plans to avoid competing with Rockstar's blockbuster launch. Even other prolific game developers like Hideo Kojima acknowledged that "everyone would move out of the way" of GTA 6.
It's easy to imagine other prolific studios sharing Arrowhead's general strategy of not taking other competing releases into account, but GTA 6 changes the calculus. It's expected to have an earth-shattering launch, although at least one analyst predicts that it won't be enough to save a struggling games industry.
All eyes remain fixed on Rockstar, which may be on its way toward a contentious legal battle after the company dismissed more than 30 employees, with the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain accusing the studio of union-busting. Since then, over 200 current Rockstar workers have signed letters demanding their former colleagues be reinstated.
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Speaking to The Game Business about a variety of industry hot topics, Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Shams Jorjani spoke about how GTA 6's delay affects his studio's planning and work on Helldivers 2.
"It gives us a stay of execution," Jorjani said, adding: "Us and everyone else."
Jorjani described the release of GTA 6 as an event that will "blot out the sun in a way unimaginable for everyone else." Rockstar's game releasing six months later than previously announced should give Arrowhead "another six months of uninterrupted work without GTA looming over us." And while Arrowhead tries to plan its content without considering other releases, Jorjani admitted that "GTA has obviously been very hard to avoid."
The ominous shadow of GTA 6 is on the minds of everyone working in the games industry, with one veteran Saints Row developer recently proclaiming that Rockstar is "impossible" to compete with.
With the release date of GTA 6 shifting multiple times, studios have had to adjust their own plans to avoid competing with Rockstar's blockbuster launch. Even other prolific game developers like Hideo Kojima acknowledged that "everyone would move out of the way" of GTA 6.
It's easy to imagine other prolific studios sharing Arrowhead's general strategy of not taking other competing releases into account, but GTA 6 changes the calculus. It's expected to have an earth-shattering launch, although at least one analyst predicts that it won't be enough to save a struggling games industry.
All eyes remain fixed on Rockstar, which may be on its way toward a contentious legal battle after the company dismissed more than 30 employees, with the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain accusing the studio of union-busting. Since then, over 200 current Rockstar workers have signed letters demanding their former colleagues be reinstated.
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