For months, studios have treated Grand Theft Auto VI like a hurricane to steer around, moving release dates and clearing November to stay out of its path. One developer is looking forward to it instead. but the reason is a gut punch. Mike Gamble, the project director on the cancelled Mass Effect 5, joked that at least he will not have to call in sick when GTA 6 comes out.
The joke comes after Electronic Arts shut down BioWare in a restructuring that cut at least 400 jobs and led to the cancelation of Mass Effect 5. Gamble thanked fans for the "outpouring of support" for the studio and its legacy and said "It means so much to us," before the line about GTA 6 dropped. The statement offers a tiny bit of levity from someone making the best of a brutal work week.
The closure is part of a wider shake-up at EA following its acquisition by a private group led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, with layoffs hitting multiple teams. BioWare, the studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, did not survive it. The humor works because a developer only gets to shrug it off once their game is no longer in the race. Gamble's quip is the bleakest version of dodging GTA 6 there is. After all, you can't clash with a game if your game is no longer coming out.
In the meanwhile, the collective dread of the video game industry has been evident. Hideo Kojima has admitted to avoiding a clash, a studio at Gamescom scheduled around the game on purpose, an ex-Rockstar developer warned the whole industry about getting out of the way and Bloomberg laid out why everyone is clearing November.
Even the studios shipping near it or planned to do it, like Sucker Punch with Ghost of Yotei before the latest delay and Nintendo, are treated as the brave exceptions. Welcoming the next Grand Theft Auto is just not something developers do.
How the industry is handling the GTA 6 launch
Studio or game | Their response to GTA 6 |
|---|---|
Activision, Call of Duty | Moved its release out of November |
Hideo Kojima | Said he is avoiding the clash |
Sucker Punch, Ghost of Yotei | Gained from an earlier GTA 6 delay |
Nintendo | One of the few willing to launch near it |
BioWare, Mass Effect 5 | Out of the race entirely after cancellation |
Most studios plan around GTA 6, one no longer has to.
Behind the headlines and the jokes are real people. Gamble made a point of praising his team, calling them veterans and offering to vouch for anyone who would hire them. A Mass Effect 5 trailer even leaked online after the cancellation, a glimpse of a game that will now never ship. The GTA 6 joke is funny because it is true and sad for the same reason.
Honestly, we would rather Mass Effect 5 were still coming, even if it meant it would inevitably clash with whatever console GTA 6 comes out on in a few years' time. Most of the industry is spending the next few weeks bracing for the biggest launch in years, with Activision moving Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 out of the way as it builds what could potentially be a rival.
Amidst all this chaos is one talented team who's sitting it out for the worst possible reason. Here's hoping the BioWare crew ends up somewhere that gets to sweat a release window again.