Grand Theft Auto VI's online mode probably will not arrive until 2027. This time, the prediction comes from someone who has spoken to Rockstar Games about it and someone who spearheads a platform that relies a lot on the traffic it's expected to generate.
Twitch CEO Dan Clancy told Bloomberg he expects the game's all-but-confirmed multiplayer to launch next year, roughly a year after GTA 6 arrives in November.
Clancy was at Tokyo Game Show when he made the comment. GTA 6 will bring a big wave of viewers to the platform at launch, he said, but an even bigger one is coming "next year when they launch multiplayer." He added that Twitch has spent a lot of time talking with Rockstar about its plans, which is what gives the offhand line its weight.
What Twitch's Dan Clancy said about GTA 6
Prediction | The detail |
|---|---|
Online multiplayer | Expected in 2027, about a year after the game |
Twitch viewership | A huge influx, including lapsed users returning |
The competition | Studios are right to avoid GTA 6's "attention vortex" |
Clancy's expectations, informed by talks with Rockstar but not confirmed by it.
To be fair, this is not an official announcement. Rockstar has not confirmed anything about GTA 6's online mode, not even the basics of how it works or if it even exists at all. However, we're sure that even though the game is launching as single-player only on November 19, GTA 6 Online is coming because Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick mentioned continued support for Grand Theft Auto Online once its successor arrives and previous hiring listings by Rockstar.
With that said, Clancy's 2027 window is his expectation. Do not treat it as gospel. Again though, it's hard to dismiss this as just a passing comment. As we've already mentioned, he runs the platform Rockstar needs for its creator strategy and his platform needs the surge in viewers from GTA 6's online mode. If he says that he and his teams have talked to Rockstar at length about GTA 6 Online, it's best to believe him.
Now if it is indeed true, the timing would be a real break from precedent. A gap of a full year for GTA 6 is a different approach. At the same time, it's a more appropriate approach Rockstar treating the launch as a single-player event first, then building the online side into its own moment later. It also gives GTA Online, with its latest feature rollout, more time to shine.
Clancy also weighed in on the gravity every studio has tried to avoid. Unlike others, he agrees with the decision to steer clear of Grand Theft Auto because he expects it to soak up gamer attention into January, calling it an "attention vortex" nobody should want to fight. Twitch, he figures, only stands to gain.