Games Inbox: Has GTA 6 been delayed until 2026?

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Clear as mud
So, this whole GTA 6 delay saga has been quite the journey. I was immediately reminded of the reader the other day who was saying he wished insiders would just say what they know or say nothing at all. I now have no idea whether the Bloomberg guy is hinting there might be a delay or just saying it could happen, theoretically. Well, duh. It could happen to any game. What’s the point of saying that unless you know something specific?

I wouldn’t be shocked if there was a delay until 2026. Rockstar games almost always have delays and I’m not sure anything that’s happened so far counts. It’ll be a shame for sure but after 11 years what’s another six months or so?

I do find it odd that we’ve not had a second trailer yet and I wonder if that’s an indication of a delay? We’ll be coming up to the one year anniversary of the first trailer soon and I would’ve thought we’d have had more long before that.

But if the game’s delayed and they bring out a new trailer now… well, they probably don’t want four or five main ones before the game’s out or people might get sick of it all (the hype that is, not the game).

Who know what’s really going on though, except that I know that none of these insiders are making it any clearer.
Austin

Early preview
So, the PS5 Pro is finally going to be announced but what exactly are we going to learn in nine minutes? Here’s a preview of the event: a bunch of technobabble meant to hide the fact that you can’t see any practical difference in the performance and then some overcomplicated explanation from Mark Cerny about something that will never happen (remember all that stuff about the SSD changing the way games are designed or mapping your ear for 3D audio?).

There’s no way I’m buying an upgrade console unless it’s super clear what the improvements are going to be and I’m not holding my breath on that one. And even if it did somehow seem super worthwhile there’s no new games to play on it anyway. I mean, what is it going to do to improve Astro Bot or the now redacted Concord?
Lofty

Ugly truth
Yeah, release a PlayStation 6 as soon as possible, providing they offer a trade-in for your barely used PlayStation 5. This would be the only fair way for consumers not to feel ripped off. The environmental benefits would be massive also.

Sony have borked this gen. Ugly hardware and poor game catalogue. I normally get the slim versions of their consoles since PlayStation 3 but the slim PlayStation 5 is a dog and there’s nothing pushing me to get it.

Buck up your ideas for next gen.
Bobwallett

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Creator-led development
I find it hilarious that the Days Gone director is exactly the sort of thin-skinned out-of-touch crank that I would expect to make a game like that. I know we often don’t get to learn about much about the people who make our games, but his personality seems to fit the game perfectly.

The only other examples I can think of is that Shigeru Miyamoto seems a generally happy fellow and CliffyB is exactly the sort of blokeish extrovert I would’ve expected to come up with Gears Of War.

It makes me wonder if game developers are like that thing that says pets look like their owners. Although that doesn’t seem to work with the Dark Souls guy, as he always seems quite normal and jolly.
Tacle

Character flaws
I’ve been playing Star Wars Outlaws over the weekend and I have to say I enjoy it. I went in with lowered expectations, reading all the reviews, but I’d say the more positive ones, like GC’s, are accurate for me.

The main problems I think are the characters. Kay and ND-9 are both not interesting and they’re the leads. Some of the side characters are better but there’s a big Harrison Ford shaped hole where the protagonist should be. Also, Kay’s haircut never stops being distractingly ugly, I think it’s interesting how seemingly trivial things like that can affect your feelings about a game.

The problem is not so much that Kay is not Han Solo but that there’s no equivalent of the relationship between him and Chewie. That was the best bit of the otherwise awful Solo movie but Kay and Nix just isn’t the same. It’s not clear how intelligent Nix is and he’s treated mostly like a pet, whereas Chewie was an intelligent being, you just couldn’t understand him – but Han could.

They should’ve made more effort to make ND-9 like him, but for most of the game he doesn’t even seem to like you. He also has a boring voice and doesn’t talk like any other droid in the Star Wars universe. So yeah, it’s a decent game but a lot of the details aren’t quite right.
Focus

More please
I am a Warhammer fan and apart from Dawn Of War have been disappointed with the games set in the 40,000 universe.

However, I had been following the Space Marine 2 release and, after playing it since last Thursday, can honestly say I love it!

The look and feel is sublime. I have found myself just taking screenshots throughout. The combat is visceral and addictive and when you get it you can tear past hordes.

The customisation is already pretty good, although some bits which need to be added are already on the dev list, such as extra colours, emblems, bespoke customisation (like knee pad patterns for White Scars), coloured lenses, etc. I would also love to see more of everything! More levels, more enemies, more classes.

The fact that the base game is so good and there is a lot more to come is a good sign and I would urge anyone on the fence to give it a go. It is honestly really good!

For the Emperor, brothers!
Tom

GC: It seems to have sold well so far, so more should be on the way.

Secret payments
I’m kind of shocked how little Rockstar pays to have music in their games. Seems like they treat it as if it’s an honour to be in it, which I’m sure it is for some bands but some old 80s rocker is not going to care, they just want to see the moolah.

Shame, as that’s a good song but it is another interesting peak behind the curtain at how much things really cost in games, and why certain things do and don’t happen.
Ulaii

Hopeful success
These past few months I’ve not really done a lot of gaming. Life has been finding a way to get in the way and I’ve needed to focus my attentions elsewhere, but on Friday I picked up a copy of Astro Bot – mainly with my children in mind who’ve been checking the countdown on Astro’s Playroom every day, waiting for it to come out.

We spent the day together playing it on Sunday and I have to say that it’s one of the best platformers that isn’t a Nintendo game that I have ever played and I mean that as the highest form of praise possible. It oozes that same magic that you get through the Super Mario games and I think that they way that it utilises the DualSense particularly reminds me of the way that Super Mario 64 utilised the trident controller so well.

In the whole debate about Astro Bot, Concord, and all online vs. single-player I think we can only assume that Sony will keep being Sony. I think that they will keep throwing cash at the lucrative online space until they either get something to stick or they lose so much money that they have to abandon the idea.

I just hope that the inevitable success of Astro Bot at least re-emphasises the importance of single-player experiences to their success, because when they are this good Sony are almost untouchable.
Rickandrolla (PSN ID)

GC: Astro Bot’s success is far from inevitable, but let’s hope for the best.

Inbox also-rans
A new game called Yakuza Wars is going to be announced at Tokyo Game Show? Excite! Oh, it’s a mobile game full of gatcha nonsense? The ups and downs of the games industry!
Gambon

So Monday was the ninth of the ninth, or the day the Dreamcast launched. I don’t think Sega did anything but there were some leaks about their new reboot games, if that counts? Happy birthday (even though you’re dead) Dreamcast!
Whistler

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