GTA 6 was actually meant to be finished much sooner: According to a new report from Bloomberg, Rockstar Games originally planned to develop the game alongside Red Dead Redemption 2. The failure of this plan significantly extended the waiting period for fans.
These details come from the Bloomberg article, which IGN, among others, picked up. Rob Nelson, Co-Studio Head of Rockstar North, states in the report that the ambition behind Red Dead Redemption 2 forced an all-hands-on-deck situation. As a result, GTA 6 was pushed to the back burner.
Why Was GTA 6 Put on Hold for Red Dead Redemption 2?
According to Bloomberg, the plan to build both games simultaneously quickly became unfeasible. Red Dead Redemption 2 practically tied up the entire studio's capacity. However, Nelson also emphasizes the advantage: everything the team built for the Western would "pay off" in GTA 6. Indeed, GTA 6 incorporates ideas and systems from Red Dead 2, such as the NPC interaction system.
Also noteworthy is an anecdote from Rockstar's Head of Publishing, Jennifer Kolbe. A few months after the announcement of the first delay, she had to call Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick because the team needed more time. His initial reaction, according to Kolbe: "You're joking. Please tell me you're joking." After an explanation, however, he understood.
How Long Has Rockstar Really Been Working on GTA 6?
The report debunks the rumor that GTA 6 has been in active development since shortly after GTA 5 (2013). However, planning and research began as early as 2014, including trips to Florida. A "skeleton" for the story, according to Bloomberg, didn't exist until late 2019, a year after Red Dead 2's release. Even after that, it took time for the team to grasp the game as a whole.
According to the report, this was compounded by a studio that had grown to double its size, several leaks, and productivity losses during the pandemic. Rockstar has also fundamentally changed its working methods and aims not to take nearly as long with its next game.
What Does This Mean for Players and Fans?
From our perspective, the report primarily explains why the gap between GTA 5 and GTA 6 is so massive: not due to idleness, but a consciously postponed start and a studio that first had to grow. For players, this is good news, as Red Dead 2's technology serves as a foundation for GTA 6. You can find more about its development history in our article, why GTA 6 was once called Project Americas and was meant to cover two continents.
What Rockstar plans next remains open. The report does not reveal whether Red Dead 3 is coming or an entirely new project.
Source: IGN
What do you think: Could GTA 6 really have been released earlier with parallel development? Let us know in the comments!
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