Rockstar’s efforts over the years have enabled the likes of GTA: San Andreas to continue to be played despite its original 2004 release. Then, there’s GTA V with its online mode, which have remained popular enough that the development team could take 12 years to deliver GTA VI.
Now, 12 years since GTA V launched in 2013, the industry is watching very carefully. Electronic Arts, a company that makes billions through the microtransactions in its annual sports games, is set to delay its new Battlefield entry as the new GTA looms in the background. Not only will the process of release of GTA VI impact how gamers behave later this year, but whether or not it meets expectations will also have a huge effect.
Bringing Out GTA VI Online
When GTA V launched, it clocked incredible sales figures. The team then took another couple of weeks to release GTA Online. Its continued popularity now masks over how botched that launch was. Players couldn’t get in, the game modes and missions were incredibly bare bones, and it was loaded with bugs and errors.
Luckily, the base game of GTA V was superb and much-loved, offering hundreds of hours of free-roaming fun and a story with multiple endings. Still, it was GTA Online that became the cash cow for Rockstar and its publisher, Take Two. Of its many updates, it was the release of the long-awaited Diamond Casino and Resort in 2019 that led to record-breaking player counts. The addition to the online game mode gave it yet another shot in the arm to continue its already absurd longevity. The success of this update and others have set expectations for GTA VI Online even higher.
Players will certainly expect not just another casino in online mode but an even better one now. This is also enforced by the way that the entertainment landscape in the US has changed since that massive 2019 update. Now, their users have access to platforms online or via an NJ casino app that offers access to world-class online casino games. Much of the vast US audience now has experience with top slots like Book of Dead and innovative table games like First Person Blackjack. So, they’ll naturally come to expect more from a modern online game mode that features a casino and casino games.
Upping the Price and Evolving the Experience
In a look at what experts want to see in the new GTA game, there was certainly a focus on the quality and diversity of the online mode. Even if it comes late, it’d be fair to say that people expect the new GTA Online to be much better than the existing model. The hope, particularly from a PC angle, is for official mod support. This would further enhance the online experience and the diversity of the always-live mode.
More features that people are hoping to see include NPCs being much more interactive in the world, plenty of customization and options for the characters and their properties, and even completely destructible environments. If these hopes are delivered, industry analysts hopes may come true.
If all of this is announced as being in GTA VI, a huge portion of gamers would be willing to pay more. In mid-January, a report did the rounds that industry analysts are hoping that GTA VI will launch with a $100 price tag. If this lands, other studios will see it as the viable new standard and up their default price tags.
The upcoming release of GTA VI is going to have a massive influence on the gaming market this year and the industry going forward. Of course, if it lives up to its hefty expectations, it might just warrant the cost.