GTA 6 Will 'Set Creative Benchmarks' For The Industry, Says Take-Two CEO

In unprecedented statement CEO of publicly traded company claims next game will be better than last game.

The hype/expectations for this game are going to be massive anyway, do they really need to increase it further, let alone put more pressure on themselves. 5-10 years ago I would have had complete faith in Rockstar on delivering, not so much nowadays.

‘Creative benchmarks’ - we’re all thinking they’re talking about graphics… when really they’re talking about drip feeding us bits of the story campaign side of the game over a period of years…

I suppose it depends on your definition, but I do consider the game world of GTAV to be one of the most polished I've ever seen. While I've not visited every corner of the map, every area I have visited, even the middle of the desert, looked like someone had taken great care to make sure it looked good.

Most games if you really poke into the corners or go off the beaten track you'll often find odd little things like an item hovering slightly off the ground, or two items clipping through each other when they shouldn't. I never saw anything like that in GTAV, it seemed to me like an insane amount of care had gone into creating that world.

I have to wonder if the reason GTA6 has taken so long is they were trying to outdo themselves again for levels of polish and detail. That would certainly explain why GTA completely missed the last gen. I do wonder if the departures signal management have decided they care more about making lots of money than whether a back alley in Vice City looks good.

I'm pretty sure what he meant to say was "set creative benchmarks in circumventing gambling legislation."

@BulkSlash It's a PS360 game. Standards of polish were different back then, and levels less complicated, no matter how well the art style makes it look good.

Splash the cash Microsoft lets have it day one Game Pass.
Which by the way you should have done with one or two big AAA multi-platform titles this year, considering I have paid my subs and getting no new AAA in 2022 from Xbox Studios.

@Dezzy70 Rockstar and Sony have a very long-standing tight relationship. The PS5 reveal presentation opened with GTV of all things. And Zelnick just talked about how he basically doesn't believe in launch subscription services, praising Plus Extra's launch as basically doing it the right way by including older games only. 0% chance of a Game Pass launch even if MS were willing to pay. 2K isn't Squeenix, they don't sell themselves to whoever pays their pimp.

I would bet it will be full of current year drivel and pandering. Hope I'm wrong!

I don't mean to disparage GTA games when I say this because they are fun but I don't find these games to be particularly creative. If anything they are kind of reductive. They feel like you're playing "Video Game: The Game."

"creative benchmarks" = vague phrase that can not be claimed to be misleading investors if something goes wrong.

@NEStalgia
Didn’t Xbox360 get DLC first for GTV all those so many years ago, I maybe wrong getting old 😂
May have even need GTA4

@Dezzy70 Was GTA4 …Take two and Rockstar had no issues being paid millions from MS back then I guess

@Dezzy70 Yeah, that was 4, before Rockstar got super weird and stopped making games.

They lost key people. It's not going to be the same.

@Bleachedsmiles
I thought so, so they can be persuaded 😂

@Dezzy70 enough money can persuade anyone to do anything

@Dezzy70 @Bleachedsmiles IDK about that. Zelnick seems to be as staunch as Ryan in terms of defending the traditional sales model. I'm not sure they'd be willing to budge on a whole business model just for a one time payment even if it were huge. They know they have a built-in market of people who have literally been buying the same game multiple times for a decade.

@NEStalgia what’s a ‘traditional sales model’?

@Bleachedsmiles Full price retail/digital-retail sales and not launching into subscription participation or alternative sales models.

@NEStalgia Right… didn’t PlayStation do a timed exclusivity deal to release gta online free on psplus…and exclusive perks of free gta online credits?

@Bleachedsmiles Right, but that's for an existing game, not launching new games onto a subscription which is what Zelnick specifically stated was not the way forward in a statement praising Plus Extra and throwing low-key shade at Game Pass's model.

@NEStalgia A new release of an existing game (the ps5 version). And also demonstrating them dipping into an ‘alternative sales model’, right?

Be funny if after throwing that shade MS end up buying before the generations out wouldn’t it.

@Bleachedsmiles Heh, it depends if you frame it as a "new release of a PS5 version" or a "straight faced cash grab of a 10 year old PS3 game" though

IDK MS (or Sony) would really want to buy Rockstar. They're now, formally, a one trick pony (pun not intended) which is about as risky and non-growth focused as can be. They're worth a lot with high revenue, but they're going to be one slip from total collapse with their new "every egg in one basket" approach. Sony did it with Bungie but they wanted tech/model know-how. Nobody really needs what Rockstar has now for the price they're worth. Zelnick really did a number on the organization to chase the quarterlies.

'the Rockstar team is determined to once again set creative benchmarks for the series' ... The people that made the previous games have all left this isnt the same team lol

I honestly believe GTA6 will be ground breaking!! I think it’ll be like nothing we’ve seen before. Look at how much more immersive Red Dead 2 is to GTA 5. In Red Dead you can interact an get in to a situation with just about anyone you see, people remember you, you earn a reputation. I really do think GTA6 will be the best yet.

@Widey85 they did ok with Red Dead 2.

I hope creative benchmarks include more interiors, toggle to run, and the ability to crouch.

I seriously look for 6 to be awesome and I can hardly wait for release. However, claims of 'creative bookmarks' would mean more to me if there would be at least one trailer to view. Real trailer, not a teaser type.

Please tell me it’s not only based on a female protagonist

@Widey85 Yeah that's exactly how I feel and what I'm expecting.

@sjbsixpack I wouldn't be expecting another RDR2. That was sort of a passion project and the last hurrah for a lot of the old veterans at Rockstar who made the brand what it is.

@JayJ my point is the difference in quality. Red Dead is a few years old now and it was a last gen game. I really do think GTA6 will be epic.