We all know GTA 6 is going to be big, and tonight's Netflix showcase is a weird, very Rockstar way to share news about the hyped game. But one of the more interesting things about Rockstar's next game is the amount of time it's been allowed to stay in development for, because in an industry increasingly obsessed with shipping, measuring, tweaking and reacting to trends, Rockstar is still doing things in a way that feels almost quaint.
Shams Jorjani, CEO of Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios, believes that's a big part of what will make GTA 6 special.
“Rockstar makes ridiculous, high-effort stuff and it's awesome that games like this get made,” Jorjani says, although there's a nice bit of self-interest in his enthusiasm. He's quite happy that GTA 6 isn't coming to PC at launch and that GTA Online isn't arriving on day one either, giving Helldivers 2 a little more room to breathe when Rockstar's monster finally lands.
It's his wider point that's more interesting, though, as he says: "Everyone in the industry right now is constantly pivoting strategies and obsessing over early player feedback just to survive. But Rockstar has the brand power to confidently take their time and run their classic play. They have the confidence and freedom to spend a decade doing things the old-school way because they know the core game will deliver. It’s going to raise the bar for sure."
He's got a point, because look at how games are being made now with early access releases, live-service roadmaps, player metrics, constant updates, community feedback, monetisation experiments, studios changing direction because players didn't like something in a beta… the feedback loop can start before a game has even properly found its feet and in the case of games like Concord, killed altogether before they have a chance to get going.
GTA 6 is bucking the trends
Rockstar's model is different and a little bit old-fashioned. Make the game, spend years throwing people and money at it, polish the hell out of it and trust that when you finally put it in front of the world, people will want to play it. Obviously, Rockstar can do this because it has Grand Theft Auto behind it and most studios don't have the luxury of spending a decade on a single game, particularly when development costs are enormous, and shareholders tend to prefer quicker returns.
But there is something fascinating about GTA 6 being made this way, especially from an artistic point of view. Give artists, animators, designers and developers enough time and money and what happens to the work? How much more detail can you cram into a world when you're allowed to obsess over it for years?
For Jorjani, the answer will be significant, saying GTA 6 is “going to raise the bar” when it releases, and perhaps even make some publishers rethink how they handle game development.
As if you didn't know, the Grand Theft Auto VI showcase will be live-streamed on Netflix today at 3pm ET / 8pm BST.
