Tuesday, March 25th 2025

GTA VI Launch May Result in Slew of Delayed Games As Publishers Fear Being Overshadowed
The launch of Grand Theft Auto VI is such a hotly anticipated game launch that Corsair seems to think the game's PC launch will have a noticeable effect on the sales of gaming hardware and peripherals. Some fans have even speculated that 2K was planning the launch of Borderlands 4—itself a sequel to a massively popular franchise—around the expected launch of GTA VI. While this was previously mere speculation, comments from publishers lend credence to this theory. According to The Game Business, as many as three major game publishers have said that they are preparing to shift their game launches so that they don't get completely overshadowed by the launch of GTA VI.
The unnamed studios specifically called out GTA VI in their comments, with concerns ranging from gamers spending all their time and money on GTA VI to the new GTA title simply dominating the news cycle and making other games fall through the cracks. Several live-service game developers also commented that they would be delaying any updates to their games, with one suggesting a three-to-four week window would be the expected safe zone for most developers. It should be noted that this "safe zone" is both before and after the expected release of GTA VI, so there may be a wave of games and updates just before and just after GTA VI. While GTA VI wasn't directly mentioned, EA CEO, Andrew Wilson, has previously stated that "some things happening in the year that may cause us to think differently about our launch timing," specifically talking about the launch of Battlefield 6, which is currently slated for release before the end of Q1 2026.
Source:
The Game Business
The unnamed studios specifically called out GTA VI in their comments, with concerns ranging from gamers spending all their time and money on GTA VI to the new GTA title simply dominating the news cycle and making other games fall through the cracks. Several live-service game developers also commented that they would be delaying any updates to their games, with one suggesting a three-to-four week window would be the expected safe zone for most developers. It should be noted that this "safe zone" is both before and after the expected release of GTA VI, so there may be a wave of games and updates just before and just after GTA VI. While GTA VI wasn't directly mentioned, EA CEO, Andrew Wilson, has previously stated that "some things happening in the year that may cause us to think differently about our launch timing," specifically talking about the launch of Battlefield 6, which is currently slated for release before the end of Q1 2026.
10 Comments on GTA VI Launch May Result in Slew of Delayed Games As Publishers Fear Being Overshadowed
I did, however, confidently say with billions of dollars of sales to prove it that many people disagree with you about a new Rockstar game not being worthy of attention . Beyond "I don't like them" how do you support your assertion that they are not worthy of hype?
I'm afraid dime store philosophy doesn't cut it.