Rockstar Games may not need as long to build its next Grand Theft Auto game after GTA 6, according to comments from the studio published in a Bloomberg report and relayed by The Verge and Kotaku. Rockstar technical lead Phil Hooker said the systems assembled for the current project should let the studio move faster. The game is scheduled to arrive Nov. 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles.
Development on the game has drawn scrutiny since its schedule slipped. The Verge reported the game took eight years of development, creating a 13-year break from GTA V. Bloomberg reporting, as summarized by The Verge, noted that Rockstar shipped Vice City a year after GTA III, since the studio had already built the framework for that follow-up. Polygon reported the game was delayed twice, and development lead Rob Nelson described a period when the project’s vision remained unsettled.
What the studio says has changed
Hooker told Bloomberg he feels the team can build on the current work and push content in wider directions instead of starting over, according to Kotaku. Development lead Aaron Garbut said the studio altered much of its foundation during the project but does not plan to tear it apart now that the work is finished, Kotaku reported.
Polygon reported that the studio shifted its release date after leaders realized some areas would not be ready in time. Hooker said the team could meet the revised date, but the result would not be the game the studio wanted to make.
Scale, staffing and budget
The Verge reported Rockstar set up a dedicated studio for nonplayable characters after finding it lacked the production capacity needed for all of the game’s NPCs. The reports cited Bloomberg figures showing Rockstar’s headcount rising from 2,441 employees in 2018 to 4,711 across 12 offices. Polygon noted the company now employs a larger workforce than its direct competitors.
Publishing head Jennifer Kolbe disputed a rumor that the game cost more than Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which Polygon said cost $1.5 billion to build. Rockstar did not give a specific budget figure, according to Polygon, and The Verge reported the game apparently did not exceed $1.5 billion in development costs. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier still characterized GTA 6 as the most expensive game ever made, Polygon reported.
What remains unknown
None of the reports named the studio’s next project or gave a release window for it. GameGPU reported that Bloomberg’s full article was expected to publish later, which could add detail on the development process. The coverage reviewed did not include a confirmed schedule for Rockstar’s next game.
Grand Theft Auto 6 launches Nov. 19, and how quickly the studio moves to its next project will depend on how its new tools perform on that schedule. Until Rockstar announces what comes next, the pace of its development remains unknown.
