GTA VI Allegedly Failed To Meet 2025 Deadline, Possibly Delayed To 2026

GTA VI Allegedly Failed To Meet 2025 Deadline, Possibly Delayed To 2026

Grand Theft Auto VI is an extremely long time coming for many gamers – however, it looks like everyone needs to wait even longer, as reports from Kotaku claim that Rockstar is falling behind the development schedule, likely causing the blockbuster title to be delayed to late 2025 if not 2026.

Sources told Kotaku that the development of GTA VI was “falling behind,” and the leadership is, as the publication puts it, “nervous and worried” about the game missing the 2025 release timeframe. This has huge implications, especially since the parent company, Take-Two Interactive, has its financial projections reliant on the game’s success.

Production delays have been common occurrences in recent years given the disruption caused by the pandemic and the subsequent work-from-home orders, and it looks like Rockstar is on the receiving end of this issue too. According to Bloomberg, the studio previously mandated return-to-office orders to its employees which will be enforced beginning this April; however, this was met with resistance and frustration among staff, as some of them were hired remotely in the first place.

It’s not entirely unreasonable that Rockstar wants its employees back for GTA VI – infamously, the game was previously leaked numerous times, so it’s natural that the studio wants to stop any further leaks as the game gets polished down the development process.

Another reason for return-to-office orders is to accelerate the development pace. Sometimes, this causes development ‘crunch’ – where employees work in extremely overtime conditions to meet deadlines, often detrimental to the well-being of employees. Rockstar employees also told Aftermath that they are “concerned” about going back to this “toxic” culture.

Pokdepinion: I don’t mind waiting, since we’re still in early 2024 today.