We Got a Record Gaming Blitz Before ‘GTA VI’ - The Ringer
By Google News Technology ·
On June 23, Marek Tyminski, founder and CEO of Polish video game developer and publisher CI Games, announced that his studio’s next game, Lords of the Fallen II, would not be arriving this fall as previously planned. Instead, the sequel to the 2023 reboot of the original Lords of the Fallen would be shifting to the first quarter of 2027. Some of the reasons sounded standard for a video game delay: The “additional integration, iteration, and polishing time” would help “refine and strengthen the overall experience” to “deliver the highest possible quality at launch.” But Tyminski cited another factor outside his company’s control: “This updated release window also strategically positions Lords of the Fallen II outside of a highly competitive holiday period, ensuring the game receives the dedicated attention it deserves.”
Tyminski didn’t have to specify why the holiday period would be highly competitive, or why Lords of the Fallen II might have trouble seizing the spotlight this fall. Everyone knew what he was referring to: Grand Theft Auto VI, as well as the prodigious pileup of other big games that have already scrambled to get out of GTA’s way.
GTA VI, the latest in Rockstar Games’ sensational series of open-world crime epics and a direct sequel to the third-bestselling game of all time, will arrive on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19. Thirteen years of pent-up demand for a new numbered GTA, along with glimpses (Rockstar-sanctioned and otherwise) of the game’s gorgeous vision of Vice City, have fueled record hype for the holiday behemoth. Rival publishers have long anticipated that GTA would monopolize gamers’ money, time, and attention late this year. Some, such as Tyminski’s CI Games, chose to bail on 2026 altogether. But many others resolved to get…
Originally published by Google News Technology