Grand Theft Auto VI is, without a doubt, one of the most highly anticipated video games of all time. That’s what happens when its predecessor was such a massive success for so long and the building hype for the new game has been violently building the longer that Rockstar remains silent on the new game. Of course, this is good for the game now, but I am of the belief that all of this time that has passed and the mounting expectations are leading to an ugly future for the game. Whether it’s an onset of early server issues, players having too high expectations, or Rockstar just not meeting their standards, there is a lot of room for things to go wrong. Simply, GTA 6 needs a perfect launch, and that isn’t likely to happen.
Server Issues are Not a Thing of the Past
As much as there is a group of people looking forward to GTA 6 for its story, that’s not going to be the money driver for this game into the next decade. While there is plenty of time for things to get figured out, the odds are that GTA Online in Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be pretty awful to deal with. Just to start with the last game, Grand Theft Auto V sold an estimated 11 million copies on its first day. How do you think GTA 6 will do 12 years later with larger PlayStation and Xbox platforms available? I would say a conservative guess for day one copies sold is likely to be around 15 million, regardless of GTA 6’s price.
Regardless if GTA Online is available at launch or not, you are going to see those servers get absolutely hammered. GTA 5 Online released weeks after the single player and that was a nightmare to get into for quite a while. That’s only going to happen here, but potentially worse. While most online games have learned to manage their server overload better, there’s no accounting for the amount of people that are going to be trying to play GTA 6 Online at the same time. Things are going to break badly. Disconnections will be rampant, loading times will be awful, and who knows how much of the game will be able to be played without online to start with. Rockstar has all of the money and resources in the world. They cannot fully prepare for what is coming.
We’ve Seen What Expectations Can Do
Server issues may be bad, but that’s definitely something that can be taken care of with time. Again, we’re not looking for GTA 6 to be a flash in the pan. This is Rockstar’s game for the next decade-plus. That said, is there any possible way for Grand Theft Auto VI to meet the hype that has been building for the game? Over the course of the last 12 years, online communities have grown exponentially compared to 2013. GTA 5 has seen that itself with the roleplaying community that has taken off over the last handful of years. The problem is everyone has giant expectations for this game and that means something different to everyone. For some, that’s a groundbreaking story with immersive characters and life-like gunplay. For others, that’s deep heists with the constant introduction of new content that keeps the game fresh at all turns.
How is it possible for Rockstar to meet every single expectation? You and I may understand that there is no such thing as a perfect video game. There will always be flaws somewhere. Even in my most favorite game of all time, there are things that I consider downpoints. The expectation for Grand Theft Auto VI from a raving community of people that only want to play that one game is that it will be pristine. Spotless. Perfection personified in digital form. That’s just not going to happen.
The way that online communities look forward to their next favorite thing is honestly unhealthy these days, and that’s being taken to a new step with GTA 6. People expect a large majority of buildings to be able to be entered in free roam. They want both gunplay and melee combat to be top-of-the-line. The Wanted system is expected to be overhauled. Oh, and also there needs to be expansive RPG systems in place as well. There’s just too much for the game to possibly nail every single person’s wishlist.
Rockstar’s Track Record Isn’t “Perfect”
While a lot of this article has been focusing on looking forward to the future launch of GTA 6, now it’s time to look at Rockstar’s past. Because of the amazing experiences its delivered in Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption II, some have the idea that Rockstar as a company is perfect in their own way. Like they’re untouchable. Remember when that was the belief for CD Projekt Redd in the lead-up to Cyberpunk 2077?
I completely understand and acknowledge that Rockstar itself was not the leading developer on the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: Definitive Edition. Instead, they threw it over to Grove Street Games, which was very poorly equipped for the project, and the games came out in a quite embarrassing state. Some people will be willing to overlook that, but the way everything was handled raises red flags to me. AI usage in game development is near the top of the most controversial topics around right now. How are people going to react when they learn how much of GTA 6 was made using AI? What is going to happen when an embarrassing mistake slips past the developers and testers and makes it into the final release?
With as much dedication and resources that Rockstar are likely putting into Grand Theft Auto VI, I hope that the game comes out in as good of a state as possible. That said, I don’t really trust Rockstar to do everything above the board right now. It’s had to undergo a lot of changes since Dan Houser left. As a guy on the outside, I have no idea how things look, but from what we’ve heard from past reports, it’s hard to think that everything is golden in that development team.
