Here we go again - it seems that things are not going swimmingly over at Rockstar Games when it comes to the development of Grand Theft Auto 6. The highly anticipated sequel and continuation of the GTA franchise has been the subject of rumors, speculation and leaks pretty much since 5 launched, and this latest report does not paint a pretty picture.

According to reputable source AccNGT, whose track record includes an accurate prediction of Quantic Dream's Star Wars: Eclipse among other legit leaks, the project is struggling. Posting on Twitter, the source described the development of GTA 6 as "chaotic" and predicts that there will be "disappointment", however it seems that at least graphically speaking the project holds up.

Interestingly AccNGT goes on to say that fans should be worried if the game is announced "this year / early 2022", which is the most surprising element of this particular report - Tom Henderson's leak, which has been broadly accepted as the most legit sounding one since Jason Schreier's confirmation, predicts an announcement and release years away, making this seem unrealistic.

We assume that the chaotic development means that the game is currently far from the premium quality fans have come to expect from Rockstar Games, and AccNGT implies that an announcement coming soon means the devs won't have time to fix it up - however, a ton of games arrive several years (or in extreme cases a decade) after initial announcement, and it can always get delayed if more time is needed; something Rockstar is known to do.

Odd timeframes for announcements aside, development issues surrounding GTA 6 are regrettable but not surprising, which is why we're inclined to believe this report despite our usual skepticism. Rockstar Games is a huge company with several studios, but they're keeping so many plates in the air at the same time that a brand new, fully fledged AAA project can't possibly be getting the attention it needs.

https://twitter.com/AccNgt/status/1469703313847472132

GTA 5 is getting its Expanded and Enhanced port in March, GTA Online is going standalone while receiving new DLC, and the company has diverted resources to fix The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition. While we have it on good authority that GTA 6 will be a smaller and more reserved game to curb crunch, and will cut multiplayer entirely thanks to Online going standalone, this does seem like a recipe for a troubled project.

Seeing as GTA 5 has been out since 2013, we're long since living the largest gap between numbered GTA releases in franchise history - if it's taking this long to put together a smaller and more reserved sequel to one of the most successful and popular games ever, then you better believe it when someone says it's struggling.

Though we hope things clear up in due time, this is rapidly turning into what seems like a Half-Life 3 situation. Fans have been vocal about their anticipation for GTA 6 on various online forums and social media spaces for years, and that mere fact has been building more hype than any marketing could. Is it even possible at this point for any title to live up to the imaginary expectations the fandom has built?

At this point things can still go both ways, so let's hope that GTA 6 will end up being a success story instead of yet another AAA bungle.