The latest installment to the blockbuster “Grand Theft Auto” online game franchise has been delayed once more, this time till November 2026.
“We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realize has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve,” Rockstar Games stated in a put up on X.
Release of the sport had already been pushed from late 2025 to early 2026. Rockstar stated it is going to now come out on November 19 of subsequent yr.
Shares of Rockstar-parent Take-Two Interactive sank greater than eight p.c in after-hours trades.
Word of the delay got here the identical day dozens of individuals protested exterior Rockstar places of work in Edinburgh, Scotland, accusing the multi-billion dollar studio of “blatant union busting” by firing 31 individuals.
Rockstar, whose upcoming sixth version of the cash-cow collection is among the many hottest releases of 2026, has accused the staff of “distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum, a violation of our company policies.”
But the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which known as the demonstration, rejected that declare, arguing that the sacked employees have been all members of a non-public dialogue channel linked to the union.
Rockstar didn’t instantly reply to an AFP inquiry.
“GTA VI” is on track to turn into one of many greatest leisure product launches of all time.
As standard as it’s infamous for its sexual and violent content material, the franchise has allowed gamers to function play as criminals doing soiled deeds throughout sprawling cityscapes since its first entry in 1997.
The latest recreation was initially as a result of be launched later this yr, with a trailer having proven that it might be set in Miami-like Vice City and would function a playable feminine protagonist for the primary time.
Set to the Tom Petty music “Love Is A Long Road,” it opens with a feminine character named Lucia being launched from jail in what seems to be a fictionalized model of Florida.
Near the shut of the one-minute-and-30-second clip, she tells her male associate in crime: “The only way we are going to get through this is by sticking together, being a team.”
The pair go on to burst right into a retailer with pistols drawn and bandanas protecting the decrease halves of their faces.
Fans noticed the scene as affirmation that rumors of a “Bonnie and Clyde” kind crime couple are coming true.
Along with its wild success, the GTA collection has confronted criticism over its violent content material.
Critics have from the start accused “Grand Theft Auto” of glorifying violence and inspiring gamers to interact in felony conduct –- allegations rejected by New York-based Take-Two Interactive.
GTA gamers promote medicine, struggle, rob, go on automobile rampages and extra. Gameplay choices additionally included assaulting intercourse employees and going to strip golf equipment, elevating the ire of activists.
© 2025 AFP