This is why gamers will continue to be screwed by the industry.
The new version of those guys who commented ‘First!’ on YouTube videos
I just don’t get the hype personally for GTA VI. I played a couple of the games, skiped a couple, played another and it’s just more of the same thing every release. Got bored within a couple hours. Now another one is coming out which will also just be more of the same damn thing. To each their own I guess.
There’s a lot of reasons, but the big thing you need to keep in mind is that the average gamer buys less than 2 games a year. That’s who you’re targeting if you wanna sell a million billion copies of a game. Where most years that’s probably going to be a sports game or cod, GTA is a cultural phenomenon that will have millions and millions of dollars of advertising behind it. First buying the game will be social, a way to engage with cultural phenomenon, then it’ll be a good value proposition (typically they’ve had a lot of hours of gameplay per dollar thanks to open ended sandbox gameplay and breadth of features), and then it’ll be social again when GTA6 Online drops, and again when the PC release happens. This is all staggered out to maximize sale and resale and stay in the discourse to the point that it’s what an AI would say a CEO should do for a big release. After that they’ll be targeting whales because old GTA Online still makes over a million dollars a day in 2026 but that’s drifting away from the why
The only one I’ve actually played it GTA V. I have thousands of hours playing Online with friends but the campaign I played once back in 2014 and barely remember a thing from it.
The interogation scene was pretty gnarly.
I wish I knew an intelligent hardcore fan of the series so they could articulate what they see in it. I doubt Noah Gervais is going to cover it anytime soon.
Do you like crime movies from the likes of Scorcese, Mann, and Ritchie? We don’t get many of those in video games anymore, but GTA lets you play out something like it. Car chases, shootouts, heists, and criminal conspiracies are all here. The next closest thing I can find anymore is something like Yakuza, which dips far more into the silly/anime/over-the-top and caters to a different set of tastes even when it’s not a turn-based JRPG these days. So that’s why I’m looking forward to GTA, and unfortunately Gang of Dragon is looking super cancelled now.
I’ve played every GTA since 3. Easily hundreds of hours collectively.
For a fair while, nobody was doing what they were doing really. They were extremely unique games. The freedom of the open world, the modern setting, the criminal drama, the high production values (of their respective release eras), the scathing satire. All of it combined was exceptional.
For my own personal tastes, I have largely out grown their style of expositional story telling and mission structures, but I still think everything I listed above applies and at that no one else is really doing what they are doing. In terms of a free roam modern, immersive setting, there really is no competitor in my opinion.
Having said all of that, know that I do not intend on buying GTA 6. Not because I’m not excited for it, because I frankly kind of am for all the same reasons, but rather for reasons that more have to do with the company, management, and my shifting priorities and set of values in my own life.
That makes sense from other things I’m hearing, yeah. Thanks!
Ok, I’ll bite. I’ve been a fan of the single player games since III.
As someone who learned programming and 3D graphics modding games, the series has always been special to me, and pretty directly lead to my career.
What makes these games special is that Rockstar develops their own in house game engine, and has the money and staff to take the time and do it right.
From what I’ve read and watched about this new engine, they are doing things so far beyond what any other company has invested in, that GTA VI is going to redefine what gaming can be.
While everyone else is on the Unity and Unreal band wagon, pumping out clones of systems everyone else is making, Rockstar is creating new low level technology to build a truly reactive, immersive environment.
Will they create a GTA Online that just milks money out of micro transactions? Sure, they will, be stupid not to.
But, I am honestly excited to see what kind of single player simulation of a living city they are able to produce with 13 years of development.
Did I buy the $100 premium version? No, I will never preorder a game again after Cyberpunk, but if the reviews are good I’ll drop $100 dollars on a game that I’ll easily play for 500 hours
Okay, that’s worth knowing. It sounds ambitious, but for me a large game-as-simulation usually makes me think of Bethesda’s house style. Which is to say, treating everything as a toy rather than writing you into a story, in a way.
It’ll be interesting to see how GTA VI avoids the (what I see as) pitfalls of Bethesda’s way of thinking. Can a sufficiently advanced simulation take the place of a writing staff? Caveat - I know GTA VI will have some amount of a script in place, I just tend to notice that simulation style game design seems to prefer to create gameplay experiences dynamically through the environment, rather than through pre written story supported by gameplay elements. Games like this want your experience to be defined by interactivity, which necessarily deemphasizes the scripted aspects of a game.
It’s equally interesting to hear that there’s still a value proposition in creating your own proprietary game engine, rather than modifying the existing offerings. I’m a little against it as I’d prefer see more work done on open source like Godot, but I won’t dig in my heels about it because I know not every project is suitable for that sort of thing. It would be great if they could license out their engine to other developers at some point.
I played every game since original top-down 2D, including GTA V, that last one for maybe 10 hours. I did 100% San Andreas and IV, but didn’t really get into DLCs.
I like it for absurdist writing that makes the world look like hyperrealistic USA. I like it for the tunes. The missions were fun when I was more ok with railroad experiences. Secrets, references, sometimes hilarious dialogue.
I didn’t like GTA V much though. Maybe it was just more of the same or maybe it got worse in some way I didn’t quite notice. Or maybe I just like other things in video games after 20 years.
I think V especially has a huge following thanks to multiplayer, including RP servers. I never really cared for either.
Hope that helps.
It does, I think! I’ve only played this series a little, and very distantly. Let me know if I’m close: So we’re talking about more than just satire but in a sense hyperbole, getting immersed in a setting with the vibes cranked up and slightly distorted. It’s a funhouse where all the mirrors are hilariously America-shaped, and the cartoon version of yourself it portrays becomes the satire.
Makes sense then that the more multiplayer experience of GTA V would have less time for the craft of that atmosphere, instead prioritising the delightfully crass verbs of GTA in the context of online gaming. Even a server dedicated to RP will tend to put a mirror up to the player, which probably detracts from the humour and vibe; self awareness takes you out of things, after all.
Yeah sounds pretty close, especially for Vice City, San Andreas and IV.
I think they also shared some cultural similiarities with Idiocracy and it’s vibes. No to the same extend, but in many ways pointing out casual things and saying “this is what it’s actually like, if you think about it”.
I think I don’t like V as much because it’s become too realistic and detached from the comic book slapstick I’ve known GTA for since 1998. And the themes lost the self-deprecating irony, becoming bland.
I guess they just optimized for the lowest denominator, always the way to grab the most of the market.
The themes are somewhat preserved in RDR2 (Didn’t play 1) - it’s very serious in general, but there’s this simmer of “ain’t this ridiculous” under the obvious drama. Worked for me much better than V ever did.
I used to be super into gta. I played every one to death. When it was suddenly 3d, it was mind blowing. I lost my interest in 5 because of the whole sellinh it 5 times, delayed release and thrn i didn’t like it too much and online is a shitshow. I haven’t even seen a trailer or anything for 6
3 was ground breaking with the level of violence and huge 3D map. Vice City and San Andreas immersed me in unique settings (80s and black criminal cultures).
I didn’t really see any element that intrigued me for 4 and 5. I had the same kind of assumption as you: just more of the same. I didn’t have a PC psycho enough to run the games nor a console, so that played a big factor on my decision to skip those titles.
For me, 4 really nailed the mechanical gameplay. It felt good to speed around the streets and get in gun fights in a way that none of the others have before or after. I know there’s a large contingent that feels the same way, so I’m hoping R* has been paying attention and goes back in that direction for 6. GTA 5 had superior environments and story, but it just didn’t feel as good to play.
This is exactly how I see GTA. I loved playing Mafia, Mafia 2, LA Noire, Sleeping Dogs (this was the peak) but GTA games always bored me after a couple hours.
GTA is a large open world sandbox… Wanna crash cars? Play cards? Take on the army? Street race? Fly planes? See how many tow trucks a tow truck can tow? Short the stocks? Be a cabbie? [Insert online features here… Not my cup of tea]
Thanks to mods it can also be played similar to Garry’s Mod, Track Mania, Forza… Whatever…
It’s a sandbox…
And… I won’t be buying it until PC. Every other GTA has been day 1 for me… Not buying a PS5 for it.
They’ve historically made a game with good writing in it, with good side quests that really immerse a gamer into the world and a lot of people like that style of open world play and those interesting side stories that wasn’t just superfluous padding that would give a player tens, if not a hundred hours, of just good fun. That seemed to be the draw for the game with just enough refinement of the original game play that was serviceable. Heck even I enjoyed GTA V single player quite a bit with all of the weirdness with Trevor.
I just don’t particularly like their online component where it’s all pay to win and massive amounts of what I would consider psychological abuse of addiction that they’ve devolved to and literally admitted what their target of console players was.
It appears that most people don’t care about spending $100 on a video game.
I’m fine with spending $100 on a video game. I mean, said video game needs to provide reasonable value, but the amount of time I play a game varies way more than game price, is the dominant factor.
I didn’t really like what I played of GTA 5 and probably won’t play this one, but for the right game, sure. If I could get a game I like similar to Oxygen Not Included, which I’ve played for many, many hours, I’d do $100 happily.
pre-orders
Now that I will agree with being a problem.
Yup, absolutely agree. I have so many hours in ONI, in Factorio, in STS, that I’d happily pay more (and in a sense I have since I’ve bought STS multiple times)
$100 is probably still cheaper than I paid for N64 games with inflation.
I don’t find GTA very interesting, it’s like a gimmick of a game that gets old very fast to me, so i definitely wouldn’t spend anything on it let alone $100.
I’d love to understand the GTA hype. I’ve heard people say they’re gonna buy a playstation just for GTA
Especially nowadays when there really is no limit in supply. There really is no harm in waiting for the release the initial reviews.
I’d pay a $100 for a game I thought was worth that much. I’m not paying a greedy corp $100 just bc they’re bold enough to set that price.
I am steadfastly resolved to never preorder anything ever again.
spending $100 on a game isn’t that much when it’s likely the only game these people are going to play for the next 13 years
You assume that GTA Online will be part of the 100 Dollar purchase. Isn’t it going to be a separate game now?
probably will have DLC/mtx involved? if they are planning to milk the game for everything it is is.
There’s been no confirmation of that, that I’m aware of. Only that it will not be part of the game at launch. This is no different than GTA5, which did not get its online features until about month after release.
It will most likely be a separate game, with required monthly subscriptions (see basically all MMORPGs) in order to extract as much money as possible.
With how much money they’re trying to get up front, I wouldn’t be surprised if the game sucks
Every GTA since San Andreas has been pretty shit so that’s a safe bet.
The digital code in a box is just too good of a deal to let it slip through. I think anyone pre-ordered the game should at least get free access to the commercial trailer at the same time those paying for on Netflix. This would elevate the digital code in a box deal for 100 Dollar to an i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-e value.
The source being Take Two’s CEO. I’d take this with a large grain of salt.
Listened to Schreier’s podcast and indeed, they explicitly avoided giving sales numbers, which to me is a bit strange. However in their earnings call they reported smth like 1 billion in revenue, and, while I wasn’t clear on whether it’s everything or just GTA6, that would still mean people placed anywhere between 5-14 million preorders. I mean to me it’s staggering that so many would preorder a game without seeing a single non-cgi frame, no preorder bonus and no physical release, but to each their own.
without seeing a single non-cgi frame
I know what you mean, but they’re all cgi frames in the game too lol
However in their earnings call they reported smth like 1 billion in revenue, and, while I wasn’t clear on whether it’s everything or just GTA6, that would still mean people placed anywhere between 5-14 million preorders.
Well from what I see on their website they put out their Q1 2027 earnings report which reports 1.534 billion earnings for the quarter. Q1 ended on June 30th so it only includes 5 days of GTA VI preorders. It’s also lower that their earnings in Q1 2026 which wouldn’t be the case if they had a really big boost of preorders.
For Q2 2027, which ends on September 30th 2026 and would include most of the GTA 6 preorder period, they predict revenue of 1.62-1.67 billion. Q2 2026 was 1.774 billion.
You’re telling me that for one of the most expected game releases in the last decade they are expecting to make only 100 million in pre-orders. That’s like 1 million 100$ pre-orders, now way they would sell that few.
So yea I think the CEO may be talking out of his ass.
I’m curious how bent over people have to be to actually stand up for themselves? Is this why we’re also taking politics up the ass without complaint?
It should run at an “okay” frame rate on the PS5. But you’ll buy it again on the PS6 for complete edition that runs the way the devs intended it. And holy smokes! On the PS7 the remaster is amazing and totally worth buying it again.
No disc, no buy
idiots
This is just rage-engagement bait.
of course they are. because gamers are myopic, idiotic little goblins that will yell and scream about every injustice…real or imagined, but will be right there to support the absolute worst aspects of gaming by preordering every ultra mega super deluxe edition.
You know those are probably different groups of people, right?
Thank you…
They aren’t. I know plenty of these people. They are all the same person. Gamers are entitled, lazy, and reactionary.
I’ve been around long enough to see this pattern play out a thousand times, kid.
Same man. People on this forum who can see what’s going on outside of the bread and circus are the minority of the money spending gaming community. Most are just more than happily mildly complain and buy their next distraction from the horrors of life, which at times I don’t blame them.
Yep, I have a friend group who gets real about talking about the evils in all aspects of society, including gaming. But then we talk about how Blizzard has an incredibly toxic culture of harassment towards women and then I see they’re playing a Blizzard game. Like… Wtf. It’s like gamers take exception towards terrible companies as long as it’s the game we want to play.
Ahhh this takes me back to the Modern Warfail days. Still haven’t touched the series since Black Ops 1 which was the last title to have dedicated servers.
And a way to play Zork
And yet there’s only ever this example.
My guy we aren’t going to watch every fucking one of you for every fucking game. We know the pattern. The GAMING industry knows the pattern. The only idiots that haven’t figured it out are the gamers themselves.
It’s a pattern as long as you ignore the examples that break it, and you don’t lend more credibility to whatever follows the phrase, “my guy”.
because its an iconic symbol that is just as relevant today as it was then, because gamers never change. Every time its the same fucking pattern, game gets released, they buy it, they complain about everything about it, swear they’ll never buy another game from that company again, then when Shit game 2 comes out, they are dropping 400 dollars on premier legendary super tier dick enlargement +3 pre orders, only to start the pattern all over again.
Crying about “Why do people keep posting this iconic symbol” is like crying about the fact that people keep bringing up Epstein.
You have to have selective memory to forget all the times people did vote with their wallets though. Ghost Recon: Breakpoint just about ruined Ubisoft after the good will of Wildlands. Avengers, Suicide Squad, and Redfall were all designed with the assumption that gamers wouldn’t be able to resist playing these major properties with addictive hooks that generate more money, from renowned studios that made hit games, but no one bought them. Need I mention Concord?
And beyond that, there’s no boycott for GTA6 that I know of. It’s not a sequel to a “shit game”, it’s a sequel in a series that people always love, always review well, and leaves most of their customers satisfied. Of course people are going to pay top dollar for it. It’s not at all surprising.
Ubisoft still existing as a company is a confirmation that idiots will still keep pouring money into the bullshit they endlessly complain and cry about.
Ubisoft is currently struggling to exist as a company, having already explored new ownership structures and tons of layoffs, because people are no longer pouring money into the bullshit they complained about. I didn’t even list their Avatar and Star Wars games in the above.
These games were not boycotted because of bad, predatory, literal psychological manipulation. They were simply bad games that were built without the proper dopamine loop, not understanding the original source material, looking at you Suicide Squad, to keep them addicted.
And they still made a lot of money, just not enough for their bloated development since these companies are still around and pumping out more games with these shitty practices and making millions of dollars, including even more of these extremely predatory GaaS, which Rockstar has even been on record stating that they were targeting console players first instead of PC because they’re more susceptible to their psychology department and spend more money on crappy FOMO microtransactions.
Avengers, Suicide Squad, and Concord were all on record as having lost hundreds of millions of dollars, which is nearly their entire development budgets. I don’t know how much Redfall lost, but we know it sold incredibly poorly, and the studio was shuttered in its wake.
Quite frankly, Rockstar’s shitty practices only affect the multiplayer. In which case, you’re either okay with it, because GTA Online has tons of players to this day, so they’re not boycotting it; or you come to GTA for the single player mode, where you’ll never see any of the stuff that bothers you.
Rockstar has even been on record stating that they were targeting console players first instead of PC because they’re more susceptible to their psychology department and spend more money on crappy FOMO microtransactions.
Feel free to cite the exact quote here, but the ones I can remember, without you editorializing it, are that console players spend more. I don’t think that’s down to them being more susceptible, because they’re not some other class of human being. On PC, custom servers that bypass the official ones are quite popular, and Rockstar can’t really advertise those microtransactions to players as effectively there. Their tactic for GTA6, best we can understand from behind the scenes reporting, is to let those servers remain operational but also hire the creators to work on officially supporting things like those roleplay servers in GTA6 in a way they can monetize. Be disgusted with that if you like, but I still fall into that single player camp. I’ll never see the parts of GTA6 that bother me. The fact that it comes to PC later means I’m just waiting for a sale. The copies they’ve sold already are to people who aren’t so precious about playing a PC version.
…I fucking hate people
THIS is why we can’t have nice things
I’m going to wait for it to come out and PC. Also I want to know how long the si gle player campaign is before purchasing it.
I also want to see what DRM they sneak in, how much micro transactions and subscriptions they add, and whatever other evils they think of.
Since GTA San Andreas they’ve been a pretty consistent 20-30 hours if you don’t feel like you have to get 100%.
Gotta reserve your copy incase the server runs out of RAM or something.
