Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot talked during a recent earnings call, during which he discussed the release date of Grand Theft Auto VI as well as other details regarding the upcoming game.
The highly anticipated game is expected to be released sometime in 2025 and will most likely dominate the market in sales due to the franchise's popularity. However, Guillemot reassured that GTA VI would not send massive ripples throughout the video games industry.
Grand Theft Auto VI
He said, "What we see, generally, when GTA is coming, is that more people come to play. So generally it's positive on the overall market."
Guillemot's comment makes some sense as players see a big action-adventure game and they will tend to look for something similar, according to GamingBible.
This is particularly true for those who are unable to afford the AAA games which have cheaper alternatives.
The Ubisoft chief also said that his claim is backed up by historic sales figures, adding that the company often sees a spike in sales around the time that a GTA game is launched.
Guillemot also said that Ubisoft's attitude is to turn its attention to delivering high-quality experiences even when there are strong competitors coming. In 2013, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag saw record sales when it launched a month after GTA V was released.
A Positive Effect on the Market
GTA VI's arrival marks the latest entry in the popular franchise and it comes more than a decade after GTA V in 2013. The entire video games industry will most likely keep a watchful eye for the upcoming game's official release date.
It will still be a while before Ubisoft reveals this particular date as the studio is still focusing on promoting its other 2024 games.
These include Star Wars Outlaws which will be coming out on Aug. 30, 2024, Just Dance 2025 in October, and Assassin's Creed Shadows on Nov. 15, 2024, said GameRant.
Additionally, the company has not announced any specific 2025 release dates for any of its titles as it has multiple projects currently in development. These are the ones that could potentially be released next year somewhere around GTA VI's launch.
Despite the hype around GTA VI, a former Rockstar Games developer said that the latest entry in the franchise is not as much of a technical leap as its predecessor.
Obbe Vermeij, who served as technical director on every GTA game from III through IV, said that fans should lower their expectations of the upcoming title, according to ScreenRant.
