December 14th 2024.
Is there enough room for anything else in the gaming world? As a reader, I can’t help but worry about the impact of GTA Online 2 on rival game companies. It seems like players are completely consumed by the game, potentially for months or even years. As I write this, the highly anticipated second trailer for GTA 6 has still not been released. I highly doubt it will make an appearance at The Game Awards, and this is not just a random guess. I have a strong belief that Rockstar Games is intentionally slow to release any new information about their games. And I think I know why. The simple reason being that none of it really matters. GTA 6 is already destined to be the biggest video game of all time, so what’s the rush?
Of course, I have no doubt that GTA 6 will be an incredible game, as all Rockstar titles usually are. Despite the immense amount of money they make, I have no doubt that they put a lot of effort into their games. They don’t release games very often, so they have to make sure each one is a masterpiece in order to prove themselves for another decade. But even if, by some strange twist of fate, GTA 6 turned out to be a terrible game, I don’t think it would even matter at this point. The game is already too big to fail. And if GTA 6 is that big, I can’t even imagine the magnitude of GTA Online 2.
People often talk about the success of GTA 5, but in reality, it’s GTA Online that has kept the game afloat all these years. And just this week, we received confirmation that GTA 6 will also have a similar mode. But what’s even more telling is the fear that publishers have of announcing a release date for their games anywhere near the autumn of next year. They know that if they release their game around the same time as GTA 6, it will surely be overshadowed. It’s a risky move to compete with such a massive title. And even if they are brave enough to launch their game around the same time as other big titles like Borderlands 4 or Mafia: The Old Country, they’ll still have to deal with the looming presence of GTA 6.
But what happens after all the new releases have died down and GTA Online 2 has its teeth firmly into players? It’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to play anything else. Some may think this is an exaggeration, but let’s not forget that GTA 5 is over a decade old and is still consistently one of the top-selling and most played games on any given platform. It’s clear that Rockstar didn’t want to disrupt this success by releasing a sequel too soon. And why would they? GTA Online was already making an unbelievable amount of money.
Even after the initial hype dies down, players will slowly drift away from GTA Online 2. But in some cases, it may take a very long time for players to move on. Just think about how many kids only play Minecraft or Roblox, or how many adults are solely focused on Call of Duty or sports games. GTA Online 2 will likely have the same effect, but magnified by 10. It’s highly unlikely that any other game will be able to compete for players’ attention, unless it’s a highly anticipated title like Zelda or a small indie game that can be played in between GTA sessions.
I truly believe that this will be a real problem for the gaming industry. GTA Online 2 is simply going to be too successful, at least from everyone’s perspective besides Rockstar’s. And even they may struggle with the release of Red Redemption 3, as they would essentially be competing with themselves. It’s a testament to the game’s appeal that no other company has even attempted to copy it. But with GTA 6 on the horizon, it’s clear that this game will dominate the industry for years to come.
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