GTA 6 could be smaller than Grand Theft Auto 5. At least for the launch. For this, the game will be expanded with regular content updates after the release – in the style of GTA Online. This comes from an inside report from Kotaku, which confirms the development of a new Grand Theft Auto at Rockstar Games.
Will GTA 6 become smaller than GTA 5?
An official announcement of GTA 6 by Rockstar Games is still pending. The Kotaku reportage only mentions a "new part of the Grand Theft Auto series" that is most likely game number six.
Accordingly, the new title is currently in an "early development phase", there is no information on the unveiling or release date. There is talk of Release scope of GTA 6, which should be relatively "moderate".
Specifically, this means that the next GTA game could be smaller than its predecessor, which is now seven years old, at least at launch. However, the Kotaku report emphasizes that this is the case with a Rockstar Games video game still "quite large" will be.
So fans shouldn't be too disappointed with this news. After all, it is mentioned in the same breath that Rockstar Games will be the next GTA after its release expand with regular content updates becomes. As a result, Grand Theft Auto 6 could be expanded every few weeks to months, as is currently the case with GTA Online, and thus continue to grow over a longer period.
Why the next rock star game turns out "smaller"
There is a good reason why Rockstar Games is making the content of the next GTA title clearer, at least for release: In 2018, the video game developer was heavily criticized for its company policy and the treatment of its employees.
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The "culture of fear" at Rockstar
Months before the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 for PS4 and console, a bitter crunch phase is said to have wiped out Rockstar employees. According to studio co-founder Dan Houser, it is even closed at this point several 100-hour weeks came while a "culture of fear" prevailed according to employees.
Internal statements from Rockstar contradicted these statements, but the GTA and Red Dead Redemption developer vowed improvement. As early as August 2019, employees of Rockstar and the publisher Take-Two reported that working conditions had developed significantly positively.
Smaller launch, less stress
In the new report by Kotaku, these improvements are now specified, which affects the release of upcoming Rockstar titles as described above. Accordingly, crunch and stressful high-performance phases should be reduced or at least better planned by the next GTA game a smaller release package starts up.
It remains to be seen whether this new approach can also be guaranteed in the hot phases of video game development. The current plan is that regular updates for a game that has already been released at least distribute the crunch and stress, which should relieve the employees.
We talked to developers about phases of mass overtime and the risk of burnout in the game industry (exclusively at GameStar Plus):
22:28
Why does crunch occur again and again? – German developers unpack
When will the next GTA appear?
There is currently no specific information about the release date of the next Grand Theft Auto or GTA 6. The fact that the rock star game thematized in the Kotaku report is in an "early development phase", however, allows two assumptions:
- GTA 6 comes earlier than expected: If the game is actually "more moderate" than other rock star titles, this could mean that the release is not too far away. After all, more content should follow after the publication.
- GTA 6 comes later than expected: If the game is actually in an early development phase, the release could be a few years away. This would contradict various forecasts and alleged leaks.
The title, setting, characters and plot of GTA 6 are still in the stars. Thanks to the GTA 6 report, we now know at least that Rockstar is currently developing a Grand Theft Auto and what the content strategy looks like. However, the rumors about a return to Vice City will hardly abate.
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