[UPDATE: Take-Two has issued a statement that these figures are involved with third-party partners only, undermining the potential for it to be about GTA 6 since Rockstar Games is an internal studio. Original story follows.]
Not too long ago, a Grand Theft Auto 6 report surfaced that fractured the fan community. It detail how the game would, reportedly, be smaller than its predecessors and expanded over time, as well as how the game was still in early development. Many well-known GTA 6 insiders pushed back, saying that it was a lot closer to completion than "early development," but the latest marketing budget reveal may deliver a huge blow to their argument.
Every year, the parent company of Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive, releases plans for its marketing budget year after year. This report spans 5 years, with last year reporting that a huge spike would occur in fiscal year 2023. However, that spending spike has now shifted to fiscal year 2024, likely suggesting this is the time frame and potential release window for Grand Theft Auto 6. In other words, it may still be nearly another half-decade away.
Notably, the exact reason for this spike (as seen below) is unknown, yet it is worth mentioning this disclosure accurately predicted Red Dead Redemption 2's release window before it came out as well. Since there is a new spike and Grand Theft Auto 6 would likely have a boisterous budget in terms of marketing and development, it makes sense that this would be due to the high-profile game (it's hard to live up to Grand Theft Auto 5, after all).
It may sadden many to know that this actually lines up with the early development reports of GTA 6 as well, and it makes a lot of sense. Grand Theft Auto 5 still continues to top sales charts, GTA Online is still incredibly popular, and financially speaking, Rockstar Games is not hurting to put out yet another entry. This report could even go so far as to suggest that next-gen consoles may play a bigger role than most know; in the next year or two, there may still be several who have yet to make the shift. On the other hand, by fiscal year 2024, many gamers may already be on the PS5 and/or Xbox Series X.
At the end of the day, it doesn't seem GTA 6's release date is anytime soon. There's also always the possibility that it is delayed from these projections, as was the spending spike shifted from 2019's report to 2020's report by one fiscal year. And so the best bet now is just to wait and see what Rockstar Games has in store.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is rumored to be in development.
Source: Resetera