This is a very quick turnaround for modern Rockstar games, but it’s also a reflection of how things have changed. PC is a bigger percentage of the market than it ever has been before, PlayStation + Xbox combined is smaller than it was for the previous two generations, and even if Rockstar previously expected GTA6 to be responsible for tens of millions of consoles sold, shortages in the wake of the AI bubble now make that somewhere between improbable and impossible.
I doubt that’s why. People literally bought out PS5’s after the gameplay reveal. I think the reason they are speeding things up is due to the fact that slop machines allowed massive progress in emulation, which more than likely is going to allow PC players to play GTA 6 without waiting for Rockstar and they hate that.
I don’t think a development that happened in the last few weeks has sped up a massive ship like Rockstar. Console sales reports are on a lag, but August was a decade+ low point for hardware sales due to how expensive they are, so the addressable market is still looking likely to be far lower than what Rockstar’s last two games had. Another good point that GamesBeat raised (solely conjecture, of course) is that the business of the online mode is different this time around. Roleplay servers are a big part of the appeal of GTAV, and on PC, that means people are enjoying that for free with no exposure to microtransactions on private servers. Rockstar hired those modders to roll that functionality into all versions of GTA6 Online this time around (this part isn’t conjecture), and there are a lot of opportunities to pull in those PC customers from the jump. In other words, they probably care less about people double dipping when the box price of the game pales compared to GTA Online money.
They didn’t for GTA5 or RDR2 either. I suspect there are a lot of reasons for that; more time to test the server infrastructure, time for people to play through the campaign without rushing so that it gets its time in the spotlight, and time for people to acquire the game and form a critical mass of players online. All guesses, but that’s what I’ve got.
Also PS5 emulation is advancing at an astonishing rate. That has to be making them a little concerned. Last night I watched someone play through the Demon Souls remake on PC. There were some audio issues and stuttering here and there but it was very playable.
Plus the massive budget means a longer payback period, best get started early. Although they do lose out on some of the “already bought it on PS5, buy again on PC” crowd if it’s still “fresh” on console.
This is a very quick turnaround for modern Rockstar games, but it’s also a reflection of how things have changed. PC is a bigger percentage of the market than it ever has been before, PlayStation + Xbox combined is smaller than it was for the previous two generations, and even if Rockstar previously expected GTA6 to be responsible for tens of millions of consoles sold, shortages in the wake of the AI bubble now make that somewhere between improbable and impossible.
I doubt that’s why. People literally bought out PS5’s after the gameplay reveal. I think the reason they are speeding things up is due to the fact that slop machines allowed massive progress in emulation, which more than likely is going to allow PC players to play GTA 6 without waiting for Rockstar and they hate that.
I don’t think a development that happened in the last few weeks has sped up a massive ship like Rockstar. Console sales reports are on a lag, but August was a decade+ low point for hardware sales due to how expensive they are, so the addressable market is still looking likely to be far lower than what Rockstar’s last two games had. Another good point that GamesBeat raised (solely conjecture, of course) is that the business of the online mode is different this time around. Roleplay servers are a big part of the appeal of GTAV, and on PC, that means people are enjoying that for free with no exposure to microtransactions on private servers. Rockstar hired those modders to roll that functionality into all versions of GTA6 Online this time around (this part isn’t conjecture), and there are a lot of opportunities to pull in those PC customers from the jump. In other words, they probably care less about people double dipping when the box price of the game pales compared to GTA Online money.
I do find it really odds that they’re not releasing GTA online 2 or whatever they end up calling it at the same time as the GTA 6 release.
They didn’t for GTA5 or RDR2 either. I suspect there are a lot of reasons for that; more time to test the server infrastructure, time for people to play through the campaign without rushing so that it gets its time in the spotlight, and time for people to acquire the game and form a critical mass of players online. All guesses, but that’s what I’ve got.
Also PS5 emulation is advancing at an astonishing rate. That has to be making them a little concerned. Last night I watched someone play through the Demon Souls remake on PC. There were some audio issues and stuttering here and there but it was very playable.
Plus the massive budget means a longer payback period, best get started early. Although they do lose out on some of the “already bought it on PS5, buy again on PC” crowd if it’s still “fresh” on console.