Games

I'll go a step further and say only when it's been vetted and discounted on PC.

This will probably be the last time it ever happens. They're trying to get people to double dip, and plenty will, but the console install base isn't what it was when GTA V came out at the end of a generation. Plus we all know full well that the PC version will happen, whereas in yesteryear, we weren't sure.

I just don't have the patience to wait even more. I have a PS5, so why wouldn't I play it on release??

Because it will be full of micro transactions and bullshit content no-one asked for, with anti cheat horseshit that will pretty much be a virus on your computer.

Sad thing is that it'll still sell millions because most people don't even know when they are being served shit.

maybe I’m just burned out on AAA games

I know I am.

Are you seriously questioning whether there is any hype for GTA?

GTAV Online may have hindered Rockstar's goodwill for fans of the single player mode, but the Online mode rakes in cash.

RDR2 released in 2018 and is widely considered one of the best single player games with one of the best open worlds, strongly signalling to fans that Rockstar hasn't lost its mojo.

GTA VI is, unquestionably, the most anticipated game of the year. To suggest otherwise is to be insanely disingenuous on your part.

They are all from players who are against things Rockstar did with GTA and what it represents for the industry. But they are not representative of the whole market.

The article is right about the impact for small studios. On the timeline for the game I'm working on, we have a prediction for GTA VI release with a big question mark and we hope to avoid it.

The problem is not that all players will spend $100 on the game. The problem is that the majority of the press coverage, Steam traffic, streamer time, etc. will focus on the topic. Even if there is bad press around GTA, that's still attention that is not on other games.

Over time they realised that, while holiday windows or whatever have high sales, if there's a better or more popular game coming out then, yours will just be forgotten.

That said, most "industry specialists" are just glorified influencers, so take it with a grain of salt

They aren’t crowding into those windows because competition helps their sales, it’s because they expect the biggest shopping period of the year will result in more sales than they lose. And there’s a reason only the biggest titles release in these windows.

Capcom made the decision years ago to release in February/March because they know a November window will drown them.

Sure is a great way to stir the pot, that's for sure. This article raised my eyebrow so much I just had to share it.

I don’t know about that one. Games are expensive these days and if your game releases anywhere near the rumored $100 GTA 6, a LOT of people are going to have to choose one or the other, and it’s very unlikely that in most cases they don’t choose GTA6, literally the most anticipated video game of the last decade. Sure you can always buy the smaller game later, but a huge part of the sales of video games is the opening week, when all the hype around it has had time to come to a head, and you’re influenced by the fact that lots of other people are playing it.

Yeah good games will always sell SOME copies. But if you thinking that a game even releasing in the same month as GTA6 won’t have a permanent impact on that games sales, you’re smoking the reefer.

Yeah, the Witcher 3 release should have taught the game publishers this. CDPR delayed the launch by several months because the game wasn’t ready to ship yet. And the game was phenomenal, and received rave reviews pretty much across the board. Gamers were disappointed about the launch, but basically went “this game will be worth the wait.”

Was the $100 price ever confirmed? I thought it was just rumored?

I do wanna point out that one of the Horizon games (I believe the second) got pretty screwed by releasing within a week of Elden Ring and didn't suck. Publishers big and small do need to be careful to not release within a time frame of absolutely massive releases such as Elden Ring and, inevitably, GTA6.

Even if the game doesn't let you play on release day, I'm willing to bet my kidney that it'll sell millions of copies and nothing big will be released within a month of it