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- Rockstar Games wraps up GTA 6 development as Take-Two discusses future release strategies and the return of legacy franchises like Max Payne and BioShock.
- GTA 6 will undoubtedly set the bar for how Rockstar approaches its next big title.
Rockstar Games wraps up GTA 6 development as Take-Two discusses future release strategies and the return of legacy franchises like Max Payne and BioShock.
Rockstar has officially finished development on GTA VI and is now in the final prep stage (day-one patches and all that). After years of waiting, it's in the home stretch, and the focus is shifting from dev updates to the game's release and reviews. The fact that development on GTA 6 is now complete also raises the question of what Rockstar will do next.
Each major GTA has seen an ever more ambitious open world, ever more fleshed-out characters, and ever more sophisticated gameplay systems. The long development cycles between major entries have always been the issue, though. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick recently spoke about the future of the company's big franchises in an IGN Q&A.
He said the pace and manner in which the company delivers content from its flagship franchises (particularly Grand Theft Auto) over the next 10 years will be completely different. Zelnick has left the door open to all sorts of possibilities and made it clear that if a future game requires a very long development cycle, they'll continue to support it. So it's not just a case of 'we want to release more games' as such. They're also looking at how to support their big franchises over a longer period of time.
For Rockstar Games, this could mean finding new ways to keep Grand Theft Auto interesting in the years between major releases. GTA Online has already shown what's possible: keeping a game alive for years with regular updates, new content, and online events. Keeping a successful online experience is a very different proposition from actually making a new main game, though.
GTA 6 will undoubtedly set the bar for how Rockstar approaches its next big title.
Another big part of Zelnick's discussion was around Take-Two's older IP. They have several established franchises with dedicated fanbases, and bringing some of them back is clearly part of the plan. He referenced the legacy franchises of Max Payne and BioShock as part of the broader strategy of working with existing properties.
The fact that these franchises are mentioned is particularly interesting given that fans have been asking for the return of other older Rockstar titles for years. Bully and L.A. Noire are two examples. Bully is a title fans would love to see return (it's a school title, really), and L.A. Noire is another that still has a following.
They do confirm their interest in legacy titles, though, and that doesn't necessarily mean every one of those older titles will get a sequel. Fans will have to wait and see what the official word is before they can say anything definitive about Rockstar's plans for those two titles.
GTA 6 is approaching release, and Rockstar is finishing development. The completion of dev is a major milestone in itself, but the actual launch of the game is just one element of Take-Two's wider strategy. Their comments on changing release patterns and their legacy franchises provide a fascinating insight into how their gaming portfolio might evolve over the next ten years.
Ultimately, GTA 6 will be key to setting the bar for Rockstar's future. We don't know whether the next GTA will be out any time soon or follow another long development cycle. What is clear is that Take-Two wants its flagship franchises to remain central to its future, and that the older properties (Max Payne, BioShock, etc.) are still being considered. For now, we're all just waiting to play GTA 6 and see what Rockstar Games announces after its biggest release of the year.
