GTA 6 Reportedly Facing Major Delay

gamerant.com:

Grand Theft Auto6 is facing a major delay after its development began «falling behind,» according to a new report. Senior Rockstar officials are consequently said to be worried that Grand Theft Auto 6 could miss its planned release window.

Following years' worth of rumors and one massive 2022 leak, GTA 6 was finally announced in early December 2023. Its reveal trailer stated that the game is targeting a 2025 release. Rockstar subsequently clarified that this launch window only applies to the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game, with the implication being that its unannounced PC port will hit the market at a later time.

But even that tentative timeline already appears to be in doubt just three months later, with Kotaku reporting that the game's development is currently «falling behind,» citing sources familiar with the project. This state of affairs has been characterized as one of the inciting factors behind Rockstar's purported decision to mandate its employees to return to office starting in April 2024, which was allegedly communicated in February. Specifically, the higher-ups are said to be concerned about the company's ability to wrap up the final stages of Grand Theft Auto 6 development without letting the game slip into 2026 should everyone keep working remotely.

Despite those concerns, the project is said to have avoided internal delays since its announcement. The new report even narrows down the previously stated GTA 6 release window to spring 2025, describing that as Rockstar's current internal target. That notwithstanding, Kotaku claims that sources involved in the development believe fall 2025 to be a more realistic scenario, even though that's currently only said to be the company's «fallback plan.» Rockstar's unwillingness to commit to a more specific release window for GTA 6 beyond «2025» supports the notion that the studio itself remains uncertain about when exactly the game will go gold.

The purported spring 2025 target dovetails with one recent