A Politician Just Called the GTA 6 Delay a "Huge Scandal" on the Parliament Floor

During a session of the Sejm, Poland's lower house of parliament, Witold Tumanowicz took the floor to deliver what he described as an important parliamentary statement, saying:

Madam speaker, honorable members, as part of my parliamentary statement, I wanted to inform you about a very disturbing matter. An hour ago, Rockstar Games announced that the release of GTA 6 will be postponed until next year. This is a huge scandal. Frankly, if people don't take to the streets after something like this, I don't know what will happen.

Surprisingly enough, another parliament member actually responded to the statement. Paweł Szrot from the opposition Law and Justice Party stood to acknowledge his colleague's concerns, saying that he hoped the DLC for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord wouldn't face a similar delay. Seeing dedicated gamers in such positions is certainly validating to see!

To no one's surprise, the exchange was captured on video and quickly spread across Reddit, Twitter, YouTube, and other gaming forums. Truly, there are very few games that warrant as much attention as GTA 6. Regardless of your stance of whether talks of video games belongs in such a formal environment, you can't deny the fact that the sixthquel has reached the sort of cultural phenomenon status that its delay has become parliamentary discussion material.

GTA 6, and by extension, GTA, is no longer just your typical video game - and hasn't been for quite some time. It has transcended the usual boundaries to the point that political figures can reference it with confidence that their audiences will understand the reference. However, to clarify, GTA 6 wasn't delayed to next year. GTA 6 was already set to release on May 26, 2026, following the delay earlier this year. Rockstar merely pushed the game's release date back by six months.

With that said, GTA 6's delay is no laughing matter. Beyond the humorous takes and jests by politicians and Hollywood actors alike is a decision that has already had serious financial implications for Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive. After posting record highs twice earlier this year, Take-Two saw its share price take a deep dive following the delay announcements.

It's not like GTA 6 only affects the developers and parent company. It's such a highly anticipated title that other studios are waiting for Rockstar to announce an actual release date and celebrate if their upcoming games don't have to contend with the so-called AAAAA project. It's unclear if GTA 6 will indeed be released on November 19, 2026, on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X, but it won't surprise us anymore if Rockstar chooses to delay it again.

If it's any consolation, Grand Theft Auto V will be free to play for PlayStation Plus subscribers starting next month. Grand Theft Auto Online also won't require PS Plus or Xbox Game Pass subscription to play from November 11 to 18.