Grand Theft Auto 5continues to be themost successful entertainment product of all time, no hyperbole. Even though it’s been 7+ year since its initial release, it continues to top sales charts month after month. It’s so popular that it’s almost synonymous with gaming among non-gamers, and Rockstar Games has certainly enjoyed that success.
Still, despite all the general positivity around the franchise, the past few months have been a mixed bag. It’s been really weird for both Rockstar Games and theGrand Theft Autofranchise, and it’s really uncertain where all of this is heading. It would seem that this could come to a headwhenGTA 5: Expanded and Enhancedreleases, but at the same time, it could also easily disappear into nothing.
RELATED:GTA 1991 Mod is Prequel to San Andreas
GTA 5 Expanded and Enhanced Gets A Lot of Hate
Back in September, theGTA 5: Expanded and Enhancedre-release of the title was shown off in a new trailer. It makes sense, as given its popularity, having native PS5 and Xbox Series X versions will only continue that. The problem is, no one could tell any real difference. It didn’t, at the time, seem to be enhanced or expanded; it seems to be a pure re-release and not a remaster or remake.
ThisGTA 5trailer got tons of hate online, as beyond the aforementioned reason, many believe that this is one reasonGTA 6still isn’t out yet. That’s not impossible, but it is not certain either. Either way, seeingGTA 5get hate is odd from a wide point of view of the franchise, but understandable in terms of public reception to the trailer.
GTA Online Going Standalone
With its PS5 and Xbox Series X release,GTA Onlinewill become playable withoutGTA 5,and that makes sense given it’s a huge reason that the game was so successful. It’ll be interesting to see how this impacts sales going forward, thoughPlayStation 5 players will get it for free for a limited time, and overall, the reaction to this news seems rather neutral. That, in and of itself, is the bestGTAnews of the past few months.
GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition Was a Guaranteed Success That Failed
In November, theGTA Trilogy Definitive Editionwas released. Because the franchise was so beloved, the remasters ofGTA 3, Vice City,andSan Andreaswere highly anticipated. Many were cautious because little to no gameplay was shown, but many relied on Rockstar’s pedigree. It seemed like a guaranteed success, but then come launch,Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy Definitive Editionhad super low review scores, which were among the lowest of the year.
Rockstar Games Announces GTA 6 in the Midst of All of This
So, the past few months have been odd with either neutral or negative receptions to major events. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with theGTA 5andGTA Onlinere-releases. But, among all of this, Rockstar Games confirmedGrand Theft Auto 6, stating the “development on the next entry in theGrand Theft Autoseries is well underway.” While many have believed this and have hoped for this, the timing seems so odd. It’s almost as if Rockstar is attempting to slap a band-aid on the past few months.
After all, this kind of tactic is not uncommon.Bethesda announcedThe Elder Scrolls 6super early, presumably to draw attention away from the negativity thatFallout 76would get. Based on the wording, it doesn’t seem thatGTA 6is early in development, though it’s impossible to say for sure. But it does seem to be a distraction tactic from past releases…and hopefully just past releases. WithGTA 5: Enhanced and Expandedon the horizon, hopefully, this announcement is not a band-aid for its release.
If it’s not a “band-aid” situation and hopefully it’s not, fans may have a much better time with the franchise in 2023 and/or 2024 than it did 2021. After all, some are speculating that afall 2023 release date will be announced alongside a first look atGTA 6this year, though that could easily fall into 2024. For now, it remains to be seen what the next few months look like.
