Grand Theft Auto VI is disrupting the video game release calendar

Who is afraid of the next GTA? Based on the last few days of Summer Game Fest, almost everyone. Grand Theft Auto VI it hasn’t been at any major events, but its presence is felt whenever a release date is announced. The month of November, when GTA VI it starts, it doesn’t matter. The rest of the fall, meanwhile, is packed.

It debuted at Sony’s State of Play show on Tuesday. Even before the show, we knew that Wolverine, the next big PlayStation exclusivewill be launched on September 15. But now they are joined by a list of major third-party titles: Dune: Wake up (September 22), Control Resonant (September 24), Silent Hill: Townfall (September 24), Onimusha: Path of the Sword (September 25), and Ace Combat 8 (October 2). This is on top of other games that were launched before November that were already announced, like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 in October.

Meanwhile, on SGF Live this eveningMany big games have moved forward, with a planned launch in 2027. These include: Sega’s epic Stranger Than Heaven it’s his Virtua Fighter sprout Crossroads; Bandai Namco Gundam Rogue Orbit; Capcom’s “big growth” for Types of Monster Hunter; Clutchfor the first time Go ahead-as a runner from Maverick Games; and Telltale The Wolf Among Us 2. The great night scene, Final Fantasy VII Revelationthey don’t come out until the following spring.

And even though the Xbox keynote doesn’t happen until Sunday, they’ve already cleared things up GTAway. When it announced it Myth late again, this time until 2027Microsoft said that part of the plan is that “this year is full of amazing games,” later GTA VI and name, in addition to other titles.

Of course, not all of these positions changed their date mainly because of GTAbut some of them did. This is also nothing new. Last year, when Silksong found his wonderful day in September, other indie titles changed their intentions to avoid being known for it. In some ways, GTA VI it’s similar, because it’s a long-term follow-up to a big hit. But GTA it’s also apparently on a larger scale: It’s not just small indie studios that are changing their plans, it’s some of the biggest publishers in the industry, including Sony, Microsoft, and Capcom.

The reasoning makes little sense. GTA VI it is very close to a sure hit. It’s the sequel to a game that has not only sold nearly 230 million copies over three generations of consoles, but continues to generate revenue through a profitable online presence. It is completely possible GTA VI it may not match those high numbers, but it will still sell a lot of copies. Strauss Zelnick, CEO of GTA Publisher Take-Two, said in a recent phone call that it hopes to “set a new performance record under the leadership of the launch of November 19th. Grand Theft Auto VI.” Although a new idea GTA VI enough cart to make the internet difficult.

But when everyone has the same idea to avoid November, it creates a different kind of problem: There is a whole list of big releases in the next few months, especially in September, when several big games are coming out on the same day. Is that better than being around GTA?

When Seaside he asked Control Resonant creative director Mikael Kasurinen about this in a recent presentation, he seemed not to be disappointed by the number of games introduced in the same window. “We are confident in our game,” he said. “We feel like we’re in a great place, we have a unique, unique experience, and we believe in that.”

Of course, there is one notable absence from the list of companies that are evading it GTAand Nintendo. The company did not elaborate on its holiday plans, and instead focused on upcoming topics, such as Star Fox (June 25), Rhythm Heaven Groove (July 2) and Splatoon Raiders (July 23). But beyond that the calendar is empty, so there’s a big announcement (or announcements) that will reveal the games that will make the Switch 2 through the all-important holiday season.

If there is one company that will buck industry strategies and start a big chapter in November, it would be Nintendo.

Additional reporting by Kallie Plagge.