Xbox is trying to avoid GTA 6’s release date next year says Microsoft

GTA 6 artwork — Make way for GTA 6 (Rockstar)

If you’re wondering why Microsoft gave so many vague release dates during the Xbox Games Showcase, it looks like GTA 6 is partly to blame.

While the Xbox Games Showcase was arguably the best presentation during the replacement E3 season this year, the main downside was the lack of clarity on release dates.

Between the Perfect Dark reboot, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Fable, almost all the big hitters were given a vague 2025 release date or nothing at all – suggesting many of the titles shown could still be several years away.

While Microsoft has a knack for announcing projects earlier than most, an interview with Matt Booty, Xbox’s president of gaming content, has highlighted the reasons why there were so few concrete release dates this time around.

During an interview with Variety’s Strictly Business podcast, Booty was asked if the lack of release dates was due to GTA 6, which is expected to launch at some point next year.

‘I think many across the industry are of course going to plan around GTA 6, and we’re all looking forward to that game, which should be amazing,’ Booty replied.

While he acknowledged GTA 6’s looming presence as a factor, he also explained how they wanted to avoid stepping on their own toes when it comes to first party releases.

‘For us, I think the issue is as much making sure we don’t step on ourselves,’ he added. ‘We have a pretty big portfolio, we have a pretty big line-up through the fall and through the spring, and we certainly want to make sure that every game is given space and has got an opportunity to shine. And we don’t end up overshadowing one game by launching it too close to another.

‘So when we leave actual months and days of the month open ended, that has just as much to do with the fact that we’re looking ahead and making sure we’re doing the right planning so we’re not getting in our own way.

‘Certainly everybody in the industry wants to make sure that we don’t land in the shadow of someone else’s big release, but we just need to keep options open.’

Following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has a huge amount of studios it now needs to juggle, between the likes of id Software, MachineGames, Bethesda Game Studios – along with the studios it previously acquired like Ninja Theory, Double Fine, and Playground Games.

This, coupled with GTA 6, might explain the recent reports around the release date for Gears Of War: E-Day, which was apparently originally scheduled to come out before Fable in 2025, but currently has no release window at all – suggesting it might now be 2026.

Along with Rockstar’s epic, Microsoft is also perhaps trying to avoid Nintendo’s next console, which is expected to launch at some point next year too.

Although most expect Nintendo’s console to be released relatively early next year there’s almost no way to guess as to when GTA 6 might be out – although an autumn launch is probably the most likely, without any additional information.