Former Blizzard President Claims GTA 6 is the "King"

Pencil in former Blizzard Entertainment president Mike Ybarra as part of a growing list of surprising "believers" of Grand Theft Auto 6. Ever since its official announcement, we've heard many publishers and insiders talk about GTA 6 as if it's this unstoppable force that will affect the entire video game market and define the medium going forward.

It isn't just Take-Two Interactive and Strauss Zelnick, mind you. Electronic Arts, Xbox, Steven Ogg, and Ned Luke, have all had something positive to say about GTA 6. But it's different when someone who's a former rival in the video game industry sings it praises. Case in point, Ybarra, the guy who prior to leaving Blizzard Entertainment was one of the brains behind the best years of Xbox, who called GTA 6, the "king."

In a post on X, Ybarra praised Rockstar Games and GTA 6, saying: "GTA6 is the king. They don't care who announces what. Everyone will move their release out of the way whenever they announce the ship date for GTA6. It is really the only game that has the power to do this today."

Ybarra's statements suggest that other publishers will scramble to move their release dates to avoid being overshadowed by GTA 6. He went so far as to say that Rockstar is "controlled by no one, including their publisher." This implies that even Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's parent company, may have limited influence over the studio's decisions regarding GTA 6, suggesting that if Rockstar wanted to release GTA 6 in the same month as Borderlands 4, Take-Two can do nothing about it.

This unprecedented level of influence stems from the massive popularity and cultural impact of the Grand Theft Auto series. Grand Theft Auto V has sold well over 210 million units worldwide and continues to top annual sales charts over a decade following its initial release. With GTA 6 expected to, in Zelnick's words, set a "creative benchmark" in the entertainment industry, it makes sense that fellow executives believe that GTA 6 and Rockstar hold this much power and influence.

With that said, it'll be interesting to see how well GTA 6 is received at launch and if it meets the hype. More importantly, is Rockstar really the all-powerful company that Ybarra claims it is and is it brazen enough to do the unthinkable and release GTA 6 at a $100 price point?

As Rockstar and Take-Two prepare to advertise GTA 6, complete with a ginormous marketing budget and a now-official Discord channel to boot, ahead of its release later this year, the upcoming title is guaranteed to dominate conversations for the next couple of months.