An ex-staffer at Rockstar has teased that Grand Theft Auto VI may not be as close to launch as we thought, with Rockstar continuing painstaking development on the title.

GTA 6 release date ‘best-case scenario’ is Holiday 2021, suggests ex-Rockstar employee

New GTA 6 information has surfaced this week that could mean bad news for gamers eager for Rockstar’s next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series.

Grand Theft Auto 6 hasn’t been formally announced yet, but it’s already been the subject of myriad rumours and supposed leaks, with reports claiming everything from female characters taking the limelight to the setting returning to fan-favourite Vice City.

But none of this information has been confirmed by Rockstar. In fact, the only thing we really know about the game is that it definitely is in development – and, oddly, we have a tax report from Rockstar to thank for that byte of information.

This week, though, equity research firm Jeffries hosted an expert call with industry veteran Darion Lowenstein, and some of the industry insider’s comments could give us some insight into when to expect the game to release.

Lowenstein has experience as a producer with many of gaming’s biggest names, with Jeffries noting he’s enjoyed stints at Activision, EA, Rockstar, and Scopely.

One of the main takeaways from his talk was to ‘not expect GTA VI any time soon’, according to Jeffries.

“As a former Rockstar employee, Darion noted that the Houser brothers place all their emphasis on game quality rather than hitting a deadline,” a press release from the firm reads.

“His absolute best-case-scenario for a game release is Holiday 2021, though he does not expect an announcement / trailer anytime soon.

“We’ve seen online rumors and have heard client speculation that a trailer could drop as early as next month, but Darion’s take is that investors / gamers will have to wait longer.”

This talk was mainly conducted with a view to advising speculative buyers of Take-Two stock whether to commit to more shares in the company.

Take-Two, Rockstar’s parent company, is massively successful elsewhere in the games industry – it owns the various 2K studios, for example – but it seems investors have their sights fixed on Rockstar for the time being.

“Long-term investors are holding TTWO up until the announcement, and we can’t argue that strategy,” continues Jeffries.

“However, with the stock trading at ~26x EPS and skepticism around the F21 guide we believe there is short-term risk.”

The company suggests that anyone looking to pump money into the games industry in the short-term is better off looking at the mobile games sector – an area which is set to expand even more aggressively in 2020, with more major publishers committing to Live Service mobile games as more traditional boxed products become less and less profitable.

As for GTA VI, don’t hold your breath – if Darion is correct, it’s likely we’re not going to hear anything from Rockstar in the immidiate future.

@via dailystar.co.uk