UPDATE:Take-Two has since clarified toGamesIndustry.bizthat the marketing budget outlined in their latest SEC filing for FY2024 is dedicated to third-party partnerships. Since Rockstar is a first-party partner that is owned by Take-Two, this planned spending on marketing in the period is said to not be indicative of a potential release window forGrand Theft Auto 6.
The original story can be found below.
Even though it hasn’t been announced formally, it’s no secret whatsoever thatGrand Theft Auto 6is being worked on at Rockstar Games right now. We’ve heard as much in previous reports that have said the game is still fairly early into development with no such potential release window yet divulged. However, thanks to a new development with Rockstar’s parent company Take-Two Interactive today, we now have a better idea of whenGTA6could drop.
Spotted byVentureBeat, Take-Two today filed a new 10-K SEC filing as it does every year. In this annualized report, the company gives a look ahead to its coming fiscal years and also provides some guidance on planned spending within each of the 12-month periods. As found intoday’s report, Take-Two is curiously looking to spend roughly $89 million in fiscal year 2024, which is over double the second-highest planned budget. Previously, this high spending total in the realm of marketing was planned for the 2023 fiscal year, but it has since shifted.
Just how does this involveGrand Theft Auto 6, though? Well, given thatGTAis the biggest game in Take-Two’s catalog, it would make sense for the company to go all-out when it comes to marketing in the sixth mainline installment in the ever-popular mega-franchise. Considering just how massiveGrand Theft Auto 5was for Take-Two, which recentlypassed 130 million copies sold, whenever Rockstar has finished up the next iteration in the series, they will surely be going above and beyond to market the title.
If this is assumed to be true, then it seems to indicate thatGrand Theft Auto 6has a good shot to release in 2023. Take-Two’s FY2024 begins on August 24, 2025 and ends on July 20, 2025, meaning that the game would have to release at some point in this span of time. ConsideringGTA5andRed Dead Redemption 2both ended up launching in the fall window rather than spring, it stands to reason that Rockstar and Take-Two would prefer to release in this season.
Obviously, ifGrand Theft Auto 6is indeed planned to launch in this FY2024 window, it could be quite a long time until we hear about the game from Take-Two or Rockstar. There’s also the possibility that things internally could end up shifting around even more, so don’t get too excited by any of these developments just yet.
That said,Grand Theft Auto 6will surely arrive at some point in the coming years, and when it does, we’ll surely be picking it up on the newXbox Series XandPS5consoles.
