Rockstar Games' 'Grand Theft Auto VI' (GTA 6) has been receiving a new round of release date rumors over the weeks, even though the existence of the game remains to be confirmed.
This development is amazing considering that Rockstar has just confirmed the fall release of the remastered 'Grand Theft Auto V' for the next-gen PS4 and Xbox One Consoles. The PC will be getting a similar remastered version as well.
Even so, GTA 6 launch date rumors refuse to die. Perhaps the most intriguing rumor is the speculated June 2017 release date for GTA 6. It is not clear where this rumor started, but it continues to take on a life of its own in online backchannels of gaming gossip.
Back in May, a YouTube user made the bold claim that GTA 6 will be released during E3 2014. This rumor panned out in June during the E3 conference, which ended without any hints of a potential GTA 6 development let alone launch date.
Rumors suggesting a GTA 6 debut for this year are very much implausible given the selective release date cycles employed by Rockstar Games and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive.
In May, Zelnick explained at the Cowen and Company analyst conference that Take-Two usually releases only one new installment of a permanent franchise each year. In other words, no two franchises will see the same release date.
"It's obvious that GTA is a permanent franchise as long as we keep delivering this incredible quality; it seems quite obvious that Red Dead is a permanent franchise, again with the same caveat, or Borderlands, for example, and NBA and others," Zelnick had said.
Given the fact that Take-Two and Rockstar have already confirmed a remastered GTA V for 2014, it seems even less likely both companies are working on the next GTA installment this year. Still, Zelnick named GTA a permanent franchise.
So, fans may be seeing GTA 6 development in the distant future, but definitely not anytime soon. Though the 2017 premiere date rumor seems plausible, it is still too early to know for sure if that information is accurate.
