Major game publishers are scrambling to rearrange their release dates because of GTA 6. A new report shows that the secrecy around Rockstar’s upcoming title is causing confusion, with publishers willing to alter schedules to avoid losing money drastically. “Rockstar games take a lot of money from us.”

The gaming industry regularly comes to a halt when Rockstar announces a new title, whether it’s Grand Theft Auto or Red Dead Redemption. Now, GTA 6 has publishers across the industry so nervous that they’re willing to change their planned release schedules to avoid clashing directly with what is expected to be another record-breaking open-world title from Rockstar Games.

According to a recent report by Christopher Dring from The Game Business, several major game publishers are restructuring their 2025 launch strategies in response to GTA 6. Executives at various companies have admitted openly that they’re deliberately avoiding launching titles in the same window. “Rockstar games always take a massive amount of marketing time and money away from other titles. We simply don’t want our games anywhere near that. We’re currently working on multiple alternative plans for our own releases,” revealed one unnamed senior executive.

Another executive highlighted that “even without GTA, finding suitable free windows for new game releases is incredibly tough,” emphasizing that “the real scarcity is time, not money.” A third executive from a major European publisher bluntly stated: “We don’t want to release our game too early or too late. If GTA 6 arrives in late October, our choices are either to release earlier—something many companies are already doing with the overcrowded summer schedule—or later, placing us dangerously close to the Black Friday frenzy.”

Why the silence on GTA 6?

Recently, Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, addressed why GTA 6 has remained under wraps for over 15 months. He explained: “The anticipation for this game is perhaps the highest I’ve ever witnessed for an entertainment product. We aim to sustain this excitement by releasing marketing materials relatively close to the launch window. This approach allows us to maintain hype without exhausting our audience through prolonged anticipation.”

Source: 3djuegos