Grand Theft Auto VI’s release has been hotly anticipated since its first announcement in February 2022, over ten years since the release of Grand Theft Auto V. Delays have plagued the game since its announcement, but as its finalized release date later this year draws closer and closer, the hype hasn’t died; it’s almost intensified. But so have the industry’s worries.
For many people within the industry and fans of gaming in general, the success of GTAVI will be the greatest litmus test for the modern gaming industry. Simply put, GTAVI is the most expensive video game to ever be created, with a budget estimated between $1 billion and $2 billion dollars.
This comes at a time when the video game industry, like a multitude of other tech-related fields, is being ravaged by AI and layoffs. Not only that, but the video game industry is also at a transition point between focusing on physical hardware and switching to primarily digital products. The release of GTA VI has already made controversy within its pre-orders, due to them only being available for digital copies, in addition to the $100 ultimate edition.
Realistically, a game like GTA VI is too big to fail, largely in part because of how influential and important the GTA franchise is to the gaming industry as a whole. The previous title, GTA V, has a massive fanbase who continue to make content for it online to this day and will likely continue to do so afterwards.
