Rockstar continues to support Grand Theft Auto 5 with online content, which suggests that GTA 6 will not be announced anytime soon, according to analysts.
It does not seem like gamers will hear anything related to a sequel to the open-world crime game in the near future. The developer appears to have their hands full with Red Dead Redemption 2 slated to come out sometime this year.
Marketing And Post-Launch Support
A closer look at the time it takes the game studio to work on a new game and make an announcement regarding a release date is a clue in itself. Furthermore, rumors claim that any news related to another installment of the popular franchise will be still a long way off.
Another prevailing theory implies that the publisher and developer will be occupied with the promotion of their soon-to-be-released open-world Western sequel. Not to mention that there might be future DLC expansion packs or content intended to keep the game alive just like GTA Online.
2022 Or Beyond
While fans might be hopeful that the rumors could prove to be inaccurate, Michael Pachter, a video game analyst for Wall Street Journal, predicts that next GTA sequel will most likely see a 2022 release date, presumably with possible delays factored in.
"And Rockstar, the only announcements they've ever made more than a year before launch was because the launch itself was delayed. So best case, GTA 6 gets announced in 2020 for a 2021 release," stated Pachter.
Additionally, sources point out that analyst has been credited with a 48 percent success rate when it comes to his predictions.
Making The Game
Most industry experts appear to agree with the aforementioned release date prediction. Rockstar is well-known for the length of its development cycles for each of their AAA titles. Currently, the game studio is simultaneously hard at work with the development of Red Dead Redemption 2 and post-launch content support for GTA Online.
With their manpower divided, work on GTA 6 will most likely take a backseat for now until further notice.
Fan Feedback
So far, rumors related to GTA 6 are kept to a minimum since Rockstar remains tight-lipped about its development. Meanwhile, feedback from fans petitions the developer to at least create more single-player content for the sequel when it comes out. Not all players prefer to go online and join multiplayer sessions with other people.
Therefore, a right balance of offline and online content should please both sides once the game does launch later on.
