While many companies across the gaming industry are trying their best to avoid competing directly with Rockstar Games’ upcoming title, Grand Theft Auto 6, Co-studio head of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 developer Infinity Ward, Mark Grigsby, isn’t feeling much pressure. In an interview with Destructoid, he said that he has always felt under pressure during his tenure in the games industry, and that GTA 6’s release won’t be any different.
Rather, when it comes to big games like GTA 6 and Modern Warfare 4 coming out so close to each other, Grigsby said that it’s “healthy” for the industry.
“I always feel pressure. I’ve been in this industry for 28 years, and every product that I have put out, I have the weight of the world, even not as a studio head, as a developer,” Grigsby explained. “It’s a lot of pressure to make sure that you’re creative enough to entertain the masses.”
“I’ve been a fan of GTA since the top-down [games] back in the day. And I’m looking forward to playing it. Afraid of it? No … I think it’s healthy for the industry to have juggernauts like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty and Fortnite, and whatever other major studio or product that comes out, to uplift … And, you know, it’s a little head-to-head; that’s great.”
“Pressure is pressure, but we’re always trying to maintain and make sure that we are delivering a top-notch, top-of-the-line product,” he added.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is being developed for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2, and is slated for release on October 23rd. Fans who want to start playing earlier can pre-order it to get advanced access to the campaign on October 16th. Grand Theft Auto 6, on the other hand, is slated for release on November 19th and is being developed for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
To further promote pre-orders, Microsoft kicked off an ad campaign last month, which proudly announced the fact that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will not get a day-one Game Pass release. The ad got taken down quite quickly.
As for Grand Theft Auto 6, pre-orders were kicked off on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S last month. Following this, the PS5 version started topping the sales charts across all regions. Interestingly, rather than the $80 standard edition, the $100 Ultimate Edition seemed to be the more popular choice.
While Rockstar Games hasn’t yet revealed any sales data for its pre-orders, rumors have indicated that the PS5 version has seen higher sales than the Xbox Series X/S version by a ratio of 6 to 1. However, a Microsoft spokesperson clarified that it has still seen “record” pre-orders on its platforms.
Analysts have also spoken about the massive impact Grand Theft Auto 6’s release will have on the industry as a whole owing to its $80 price tag. While some noted that not every publisher will have the cultural cachet to do so, they have noted that we will still see some companies try.
