Rockstar Games, a division of Take-Two Interactive Software, plans to announce the next highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto game as early as this week, according to people familiar with its plans.
The company plans to then publish a trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) next month to celebrate Rockstar’s 25th anniversary, said the people, who asked to not be identified because they weren’t authorised to speak publicly. A spokesman for Rockstar didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment sent after business hours.
No videogame has driven more fervour from fans and investors than GTA 6, which is expected to be one of the most significant entertainment releases of the decade. Its predecessor, Theft Auto V, has sold more than 185 million copies and is the second-best-selling videogame of all time, behind Minecraft, which had the advantage of also being playable on phones.
Rockstar has spent the last few years working to clean up its corporate culture and work-life balance after employees complained of burnout during the making of its last game, 2018’s Red Dead Redemption 2.
Last year, hackers released hours of early footage from GTA 6. Rockstar blamed a “network intrusion” and said it “will properly introduce you to this next game when it is ready”. Two UK teens were convicted of the hack in a London criminal trial earlier this year.
The game is set in a fictional version of Miami and features two protagonists, a man and a woman. Take-Two is scheduled to report earnings on Wednesday. — Jason Schreier, (c) 2023 Bloomberg LP