Circana’s Matt Piscatella Explains Why GTA 6’s Release Is So Important To The Industry

gameranx.com:

Matt Piscatella has become a notable figure in the video game industry, even though he doesn’t really make video games himself.

Instead, he works for Circana, formerly known as NPD. Circana’s business is in analyzing the metrics of other businesses, and Matt is squarely focused on the video game industry.

In a new interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Matt got candid about the poor prospects of the industry this year, and why that makes Grand Theft Auto 6’s release so important.

First off, is the fact that 2024 is really not shaping up to be a good year for the industry. Sony admitted they won’t have any major AAA releases for the whole year, and Nintendo is rumored to have delayed the release of the Nintendo Switch to 2025. Microsoft is expected to have some major AAAs of their own, but having two of the three major players not bringing big releases is still bad overall.

Matt also addressed the rumors that Sony and/or Microsoft could bring Pro versions of their consoles this year. Even with NDAs in effect, Matt revealed he hasn’t received word if they are even happening. But if they are, their impact won’t be enough to fix the industry for this year.

In Matt’s words:

“The uncertainty level this year is probably the highest I can recall – and I’ve been around since 2005 – with the uncertainty of what’s going to get us to the finish line because we don’t have those big games announced that we know.”

Matt also acknowledges the success of Helldivers 2 and Palworld, but points out they aren’t performiing at the same level that last year’s biggest blockbuster did. That title was Hogwarts Legacy, and it doesn’t seem like there will be a similar title for this year.

And with all that pessimistic talk in mind, here’s what Matt said about Grand Theft Auto 6:

 “This is going to be a tough year, but if you look towards 2025, if interest rates come down and money becomes a little bit more free-flowing to devs and pubs, we should get a boost in the development cycle again.

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