A former Rockstar North-environments, David O'Reilly, revealed that he worked in GTA 6 between 2018 and 2023, indicating that the project may have started its full-scale production only after the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2. This information contradicted what was speculated that the game was under development since 2013, when GTA 5 was released.
- GTA 6 will have Vice City and five more regions on the map
- GTA 6 Record with second trailer for the game
Although pre-production may have started years earlier, most of the Rockstar Games team was focused on Red Dead Redemption 2 until its release in 2018. Therefore, GTA 6 is likely to have had an effective production cycle of about eight years, considering its scheduled release date for 2026.
Rockstar faced challenges in the development of GTA 6
The covid-19 pandemic and a large data leakage by 2022 significantly impacted the rockstar games schedule. These events delayed internal processes and required team adjustments, extending the time needed to finish the game. Even so, eight years still represent an extensive period compared to the quick releases of the PS2 era.
In the 2000s, Rockstar was able to launch GTA 3, Vice City and San Andreas in just four years. However, the complexity of current games, with ultra-realistic graphics and open worlds full of detail, justifies the delay. The scope difference between the old and current titles is huge.
Heated expectation and marketing for the launch of GTA 6
Rockstar Games has already started the promotional campaign with two trailers who broke visualization records. The second video, recently released, reinforced Hype around the game and confirmed that marketing will continue active until the official release. The strategy aims to keep fans engaged while the team finishes the latest details.
With a clearer development cycle and the exceeded challenges, GTA 6 promises to be a milestone for the game industry. Although the wait is long, the result is that the result is worth it, delivering an experience up to Rockstar's technological and creative evolution.
