In the build-up to the PlayStation 5 reveal event, many fans anticipated that Sony and Rockstar would announce Grand Theft Auto 6. When the show opened with the Rockstar logo, you’d have been forgiven for getting your hopes up that it was GTA 6. Instead, it was an announcement that GTA 5 will be releasing on the PlayStation 5.
Unsurprisingly GTA fans were left disappointed. While it’s no secret we will be seeing GTA 6 one day, it likely won’t be for a while yet.
Last week, former Rockstar Games producer Darion Lowenstein took to TikTok to share his thoughts on the matter as many people asked him why GTA 6 was not announced.
He stated that it’s really hard to make games for new consoles as technology is constantly changing. He also added that it’s easier and quicker to port GTA 5 to next-gen consoles than it is developing a new game.
“Honestly, from a development standpoint, there are a couple of good reasons. I’ve made a lot of games for new consoles, it’s really hard. Tech is constantly changing, and it’s really hard to make a AAA game at launch”, he said.
According to Lowenstein, the main reason why we didn’t see GTA 6 is that it isn’t ready. It made sense to him for Rockstar to re-release GTA 5 while they develop the next game as a release of GTA 5 on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will provide Rockstar with a lot of income.
“Like I said before, the constantly updating a pre-existing game, making it prettier, is WAY cheaper, way easier than an all-new one. So, if I had to guess, GTA 6 just isn’t ready, and GTA 5 will provide a lot of income, and an experience everyone already knows and loves, within a year of the PS5 launching.
He added that it’s normal for developers not to start working on next-gen hardware until a year before they are released. If true it would seem to confirm rumours that GTA 6 is still early in its production.