Analysis-Videogame publishers rush to seize fall launch window after 'GTA VI' delay

Zaheer Kachwala

Mon, May 12, 2025, 4:44 AM 4 min read

By Zaheer Kachwala

(Reuters) -Days aft Take-Two Interactive delayed the motorboat of "Grand Theft Auto VI" to May adjacent year, rival publishers are utilizing that accidental to fastener successful merchandise dates for their games to debar a nonstop clash with 1 of the industry's astir anticipated titles.

Analysts and manufacture executives told Reuters they expect a question of announcements for the fall, arsenic the lack of Take-Two-owned Rockstar Games' imaginable blockbuster from this year's lineup creates breathing country for different titles.

"Publishers had delayed the announcement of the merchandise dates of their games. Releasing aft oregon adjacent conscionable earlier GTA VI would diminish their sales," said Obbe Vermeij, erstwhile method manager astatine Rockstar Games. "Expect a fig of announcements successful the coming months of games that volition present people autumn merchandise dates."

Electronic Arts was the archetypal to enactment past week, announcing 4 days aft the "GTA" hold that it would merchandise its caller "Battlefield" rubric this fiscal year, which ends successful March 2026. Take-Two is besides readying to usage that model to motorboat its different game, "Mafia: The Old Country."

Other titles could besides benefit, including Techland's "Dying Light: The Beast" and Embracer's "Killing Floor 3," which person yet to fastener successful motorboat dates.

The model from September to aboriginal December is simply a aureate agelong for the gaming industry, buoyed by nationalist holidays and a year-end buying rush. But not galore person the capableness to pat that accidental for their caller releases.

Long improvement cycles for large titles - immoderate of which tin agelong from 5 to 7 years - mean astir large games cannot beryllium rescheduled astatine abbreviated notice.

Instead, the play whitethorn service arsenic a saccharine spot for enlargement packs, remastered titles and smaller studios, peculiarly for developers with games already nearing completion, analysts said.

BIG WINNERS

For established publishers similar EA and Activision, the hold could travel arsenic a boon. Competing straight with a rubric arsenic monolithic arsenic "GTA VI" could person dented income of "Battlefield".

EA's strategical timing with "Battlefield" boosted its shares arsenic investors cheered the instrumentality of the fashionable first-person shooter franchise. The company's CEO, Andrew Wilson, was not shy astir the accidental connected a post-earnings telephone earlier this month. The motorboat model is "clearer than it was before," helium said.

Joost van Dreunen, games prof astatine NYU's Stern School of Business, expects EA to merchantability 4 cardinal to 5 cardinal units of the caller "Battlefield" by the extremity of fiscal twelvemonth 2026, but believes it would person sold 3 cardinal to 4 cardinal units if "GTA VI" had not been delayed.