GTA 6 Is Reportedly In The "Final Stages" Of Development

A new report on Rockstar Games' work culture has suggested that GTA 6 is entering the "final stages" of development ahead of its planned 2025 release.

As excited as everyone was about the reveal trailer for GTA 6, there was one reveal in it that took the wind out of everyone's sails - the 2025 release date. Many fans assumed that we might be getting it at some point in 2024, but the long-awaited game needs a bit more time in the oven and isn't releasing until next year.

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That later-than-expected release date isn't helped by the fact that Rockstar Games is known for delaying its big titles at least once after it reveals the official launch date, which had some fans worrying about when it'd actually be releasing. It seems that GTA 6 could end up being the first game from Rockstar that's not delayed, although it's not all good news.

Yesterday, Bloomberg reported that Rockstar Games is planning on asking all of its employees to return to the office for five days a week at the start of April to prepare as GTA 6 "enters the final stages of development". Since we're only at the beginning of 2024 now and the game is nearing the end of development, it seems that it's not too far from being finished.

The downside to this approach is that Rockstar Games isn't letting employees work from home anymore, something that's become a bit of a normality in the industry since 2020's pandemic. This sudden change will no doubt affect employees who have gotten used to working from home or were hired in the years since and never had to enter the office in the first place.

Rockstar's head of publishing, Jenn Kolbe, said in an email to staff that the decision was made for "productivity and security reasons", which makes some sense considering how many hacks and leaks the studio has been hit by since before GTA 6 was even officially revealed.

"Making these changes now puts us in the best position to deliver the next Grand Theft Auto at the level of quality and polish we know it requires, along with a publishing roadmap that matches the scale and ambition of the game".

Rockstar Games has also had a history with crunch in the past, something that could potentially become an issue again if workers are being asked to return to the office five days a week. The studio has previously claimed in 2022 that it's working on its crunch culture and has already seen improvements, which is hopefully the case with GTA 6 seeing as the game is in the final stages of development more than a year ahead of launch.

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