A YouTuber with quite a few credible leaks under his belt is making claims about the highly anticipated release in Rockstar Games titular game series: Grand Theft Auto 6.
Tom Henderson, who has leaked details on Call of Duty and Battlefield 2042, is back this week with a compilation of all he has heard about Grand Theft Auto 6.
“I don’t have a precise release date in mind, but if you are expecting to play this game in the next couple of years I would definitely put your expectations in check because I don’t think we’re seeing this until about 2024 or 2025,” he said.
Henderson said one reason is that Rockstar Games is focusing very heavily on employee wellbeing. Another is that the developer wants to maximize sales on the game which is reportedly planning to only launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Henderson said the infamous shortages of PS5 and XBX consoles has pushed Rockstar to want to wait until there is a larger market for their game.
Henderson notes another reason is the continued popularity of GTA 5 and GTA Online with hundreds of thousands of active users logging in daily on just PC, not including daily console users.
“To put it simply, they’re pretty much outselling even AAA titles that released a couple of months ago,” Henderson said. “It makes no sense for them to release GTA 6 when GTA 5 and GTA Online [are] doing incredibly well.”
Henderson said he has been personally told the game will take place in a modern time period, which is counter to rumors about a 1980’s setting that have been circulating for a few years now. A big reason, he says, comes down to the billions of dollars that GTA Online is generating every year.
He first brought up the game’s modern setting in April, but expounded on the concept in the video.
It's not set in the 1980's and is modern. https://t.co/iav46Ty35V
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) April 12, 2021
“I’ve been told the modern title is just to fit in with GTA Online and [to] give the developers as much freedom as possible to release as many different DLCs as possible,” he said.
As for the game’s locale, Henderson said Vice City is returning “in some way,” but the map itself is not as large as previous leaks have detailed.
“Now to be brutally honest with you guys, I’m not entirely sure what that could mean,” he said. “But what I was told when it comes to the map in GTA Online, is that essentially it will be an evolving map that could change every time a new DLC is released.”
GTA Online + Modern + Wacky Shit = More Money
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) April 12, 2021
Henderson noted that it is still early in development and said “he cannot comment on” how the DLC will work or whether there will be a battle pass in the game, but there will be additions made to the map including new areas and expanding the map overall.
There is reportedly a plan to bring a cryptocurrency to the game as a virtual currency as another form of rewards or additional storylines.
Just so there's no confusion, I mean in-game payments of bitcoin.
These payments will come from the more higher up characters that needs to transfer high amounts of "untraceable cash and fast".
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) June 3, 2021
He said this could be compared to Fortnite events that have changed the map like the comet crash.
Hender said GTA 6 appears to be following the path of its predecessor with regards to having multiple playable characters and will reportedly include a female character.
“I’m not entirely sure on small details such as names and stuff like that, but what I was told in regards to this female character is that she is going to be essentially the bright one in the group and be responsible for stuff such as technology and hacking,” Henderson said.
Keep in mind, leaks are leaks. They could be correct right now, but as development continues these aspects could shift, evolve or be completely removed and we would be none-the-wiser.
The thing I find most convincing is the discussion on releasing GTA 6 in relation to overall the size of the current market of next-generation console owners along with the continued success of GTA Online through GTA 5. The adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is old and overused for a reason, right?
That, coupled with the widespread criticism the company received following reports of crunch conditions around the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2, means there is more than a little interest around the development side of the game and I am not surprised to hear about them theoretically pulling the reins back a bit.
