As we approach 2025 the hype for GTA 6 is getting crazy. Coming next fall Rockstar’s next game is going to be a big deal. Here’s what we know so far about the highly anticipated sequel to the most successful game of all time.
A Tough Act to Follow
Take-Two Interactive (Rockstar’s parent company) are hoping to repeat the magic of the original. Grand Theft Auto 5 released in 2013 has sold over 200 million copies worldwide making it the second best selling game of all time behind only Minecraft.
In an interview Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said “I think it’ll be extraordinary and worth waiting for” which has got fans and industry insiders excited.
Surprising the Fans
Zelnick said GTA 6 might have features and innovations that even the most hardcore fans wouldn’t see coming. Details are still under wraps but the implication is Rockstar are going to change the open-world game.
“We definitely listen to feedback from our fans, absolutely. You need to, in our business, and you’re able to. But remember, the biggest hits are always the ones that are unexpected. Everything that we do has to be new and different, not derivative. So, by definition when people are commenting on something that is in the market, that means they’re looking at something that was done before. Our teams are focused on what’s new that you haven’t even thought about, like, you thought you were anticipating this thing, but this is way bigger and way better and more exciting and more beautiful than you could have possibly thought of.”
Talking about the success of GTA 5 and GTA Online Zelnick said the team underestimated how long the game would last. The massive popularity of GTA Online (which is still getting updates including a recent holiday expansion) wasn’t part of the original plan.
GTA Online
One of the most interesting things to come out of the interview was the unplanned evolution of GTA Online. Originally the game wasn’t even supposed to have a virtual currency. But over time GTA Online became a key part of the franchise with its robust multiplayer and steady stream of content updates.
“I don’t think any of us did. I think that we saw it as a really interesting add-on to the title. We actually originally had not planned to have virtual currency in the game, so it wasn’t going to be an economic driver. It was relatively late in the day when we decided to pursue virtual currency because it was so long ago – we’re looking back to 2013. And it wasn’t an immediate success. You may recall it was pretty buggy at first. We had some trouble coming out of the gate because it was all new, and we were innovating; we were doing it all in real-time. It was like building a plane while you’re taking off and then flying. It is an incredible, durable success and it continues to to perform many, many years later. It’s astonishing and no, I don’t think any of us expected that, but we also didn’t expect to sell 205 million units. We never expected that. That was way outside of the realm of anything we contemplated.”
This has clearly had an impact on the development of GTA 6 which will have a next level online experience. Whether that means more immersive multiplayer, dynamic world building or something entirely new we’ll have to wait and see.
GTA 6 Coming Soon
Coming fall 2025 GTA 6 will be big again. Rockstar have a history of pushing the boundaries of storytelling, gameplay and world design and fans can’t wait to see how that will translate to the new game.
As the release gets closer the speculation about the game’s features, story and online parts will only get more and more crazy. If Zelnick’s comments are anything to go by GTA 6 could be even more than we can imagine.
