Delays are common in the games industry, especially with massive projects like Grand Theft Auto 6. Originally slated for Fall 2025, it was delayed to May 2026, then again to November 19th of the same year. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has been publicly amicable about the deal, but Rockstar’s head of publishing Jennifer Kolbe recalls his initial reaction to the second delay.
“I think he said, ‘You’re kidding. Please tell me you’re kidding’,” she told Bloomberg. However, once the development team explained the reasons why (and rest assured, there were plenty), “he got it.”
“And I think we are really lucky that he is as reasonable as he is, because a lot of people would say ‘you just better figure out how to ship it’. And we have been really, really lucky that we have not found ourselves in that place, because that happens to a lot of teams, and we’ve all played those games. It’s not great.”
Given that it’s almost six years later and games like Cyberpunk 2077 are still remembered for their disappointing launches, one is inclined to agree. And while its budget remains unconfirmed, Kolbe denied that it allegedly cost $1.5 billion.
Launching on November 19th for Xbox Series X/S and PS5, Grand Theft Auto 6 is also reportedly set to release on PC in Q1 2027. Rockstar hasn’t commented on this, but believes its next game won’t take eight years to release, given how its tools have evolved during GTA 6’s development.
For more details on the open-world behemoth, check out our feature. You can also learn more about how Rockstar is making its missions more open, which not only meant more approaches in story missions but also surprisingly raised the quality of side content.
