Grand Theft Auto VI is imminent?
As I sat here frustrated on a Tuesday evening while watching Dancing with the Stars, I happened to check my phone. To my surprise, I see everyone's favorite reporter, Jason Schreier, barreling into the online space with a report that the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI could be announced this current week with a trailer arriving in December, which you'd imagine would be the largest thing Geoff Keighley's Game Awards could ever nab. Immediately, I went through a swarm of emotions that ran from excitement to worry to just a generalized "holy &@$^ feeling. Following up to arguably the last single game of all time, something that's surpassed 185 million copies since releasing in 2013. The follow-up to a game that's been passed around three different console generations and, I think, has yet to leave a Top 10 played games list on a weekly basis would surely deserve its own event, right? After early build parts of the game leaked last year, it comes as a surprise to me that the team was much further along than we were led to believe.
If Geoff somehow did pull enough streams to lock in a GTA trailer for The Game Awards, it would single-handedly make the event the largest it has been. The imminent announcement is the kind of thing that causes normal news outlets to cover it and give it time, as it's such a generational event. A piece of me is impartial though, as I could see Rockstar just dropping the trailer on a random Wednesday in December since they clearly don't need any help marketing the game. Surprisingly enough, I'm one of the very few who have yet to touch or install GTA 5 on my console. I've never played the game before and only see gameplay from the YouTubers my girlfriend enjoys. Whether it's me just not being interested in a large open world make your own fun sort of thing or the prime opportunity passed me by, I'm still intrigued by the thought of GTA VI and what it means for 2024 in games.
With 2023 being as bursting at the seams with games as it was and 2024 slowly building momentum to make its own pace with rumors of the Nintendo Switch Successor and titles like Tekken 8, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Suicide Squad (maybe for real this time), set to launch, Some of these plans could be drastically changed if GTA VI gets a fall 2024 release window. I'd fully expect 99% of games that have a penciled-in release date to do everything in their power to move out of the way. Anything that tries to stand toe to toe with Rockstar's behemoth will be completely lost in the atmosphere without a chance of survival. Nobody is going to want to play or even look at another game when GTA VI is casting a shadow over every player's wallet and attention span.
It's definitely something to keep an eye on, and I'll eagerly be wishing for a first-round draft pick in our Fantasy Critic League next year. Will this be the one that gets me to return to the Grand Theft Auto series? Will it be revealed at the Game Awards or on its own? Does it hit an end-of year 2024 release window? For now, we wait and see as all eyes point to the team at Rockstar and what their next move will be. What are your thoughts? Let us know down below and thank you for supporting us here at BadlandsBacklogs!