GTA 6 Is Being 'Accelerated' For Early Release

It'll be the game that either defines a generation (if not multiple) or leaves Rockstar Games as a slain god that bleeds out like so many developers before it. With this in mind, it's safe to say there's a lot riding on Grand Theft Auto 6 right now. Maybe this is why it looks like Rockstar is quite literally putting all its eggs in one basket.

By the time GTA V released in 2013, the Grand Theft Auto name was already going strong and had been going from strength to strength for 16 years. Still, did anyone really expect it to become the most profitable entertainment product of all time? Even though we know GTA V was helped by the ongoing success of GTA Online, that hasn't stopped ambitious financials hoping GTA 6 will be able to top its predecessor. 

What's Going On With GTA 6?

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Even though GTA 6 doesn't have a release date yet, gamers are looking out for even the smallest hint of when we'll be racing back into Rockstar's crime-riddled world. In a recent dump of information from Bloomberg, we hear GTA 6 could release between April 2023 and March 2024. Next April seems very optimistic, so we'd lean toward the latter. 

By the looks of it, Rockstar is currently on a hiring spree - suggesting that things are being accelerated when it comes to GTA 6. According to job site Hitmarker, there are currently 231 open positions at Rockstar Games. More are being added by the day, with three Senior Producer positions being posted for Scotland, California, and New York.

Given that the last game it worked on was Red Dead Redemption 2 - and recent news that Rockstar is giving up on Red Dead Online - it's fair to assume most of these positions are for GTA 6. Hundreds of jobs have been posted in the past month, and it doesn't look like the recruitment drive is slowing down. Not bad considering we last heard the AAA game was in a "turbulent" state.

Could GTA 6 Release Early?

The same post that signalled the end of RDO mentioned how Rockstar was shifting resources from other projects to GTA 6. Couple this with the critical panning of the GTA Trilogy, and it's also thought this change of direction might've led to new-gen remasters of GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption being canned. The good news is that with all these people working on GTA 6, could it drop early? 

In other seemingly major news, Bloomberg also reported that GTA 6 will feature a Latina female protagonist as a major first for the franchise. She'll be one of two characters inspired by Bonnie and Clyde, and if it's true, it's seemingly a big win for GTA 6 development. As we near the end of 2022, it might be hard to imagine GTA 6 releasing in 2023 or 2024, but as things come into focus, it's looking like a possibility. Fingers crossed we get the next GTA V and not another GTA Trilogy.