Something Unprecedented Is Happening With Console Sales And GTA 6 Is to Blame

This report is in line with earlier analysis from other experts, with one going as far as to say that the delay to GTA 6, although celebrated by Hideo Kojima, Obsidian Entertainment, and Sucker Punch Productions, would set the industry back to pre-pandemic levels. At the moment, the video game industry finds itself in a challenging situation. Mass layoffs have become disturbingly common, with talented developers losing their jobs left and right. Major studios are shutting down or being absorbed by larger companies.

Meanwhile, most gamers are sticking to the same handful of titles they've been playing for years. Ironically, most are playing one of the many editions of Grand Theft Auto V or Grand Theft Auto Online, which originally launched over a decade ago. Michiel Buijsman, Principal Market Analyst at Newzoo, believes GTA 6 will do more than just boost console sales. He predicts it will completely reshape the competitive landscape for both PC and console gaming.

However, there's a flip side to this coin. Any game unfortunate enough to launch around the same time as GTA 6 might find itself completely overshadowed. The report suggests that other AAA and AA titles could suffer if they're released in the same window. With console growth projected to remain sluggish through 2026, the industry is essentially betting on a handful of major releases to turn things around. GTA 6 sits at the top of that list, carrying expectations that would crush most games.

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick welcomed such expectations years ago when he said that GTA 6 would set a new creative benchmark. So far, with the release of the first trailer and second trailer, GTA 6 has set records already. Helping the video game industry turn a potentially dire situation around wouldn't be far-fetched based on what the game has accomplished ahead of its launch.