GTA 6 may emphasize singleplayer: We never said singleplayer was dead

Singleplayer is still very important to Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive. So what does that mean for GTA 6?

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The last we heard is that GTA 6 could launch with a more compact singleplayer story mode that expands over time with online updates. After years of billion-dollar earnings with GTA Online, Rockstar has started to lean into singleplayer content with GTA Online's new The Contract expansion which features story content with original GTA V characters and can be played solo. Is this the beginning of a new hybridized setup for Grand Theft Auto 6?

We don't know for sure, but Take-Two Interactive still believes in singleplayer. That's surprising considering Take-Two earned over $551 million from in-game spending in the holiday quarter--microtransactions have been very good to the publisher.

"There was a time when a couple of our competitors were taking a position that single player was dead. We never took that position. We know that there's a role for single player. I believe there will be a role going forward," Take-Two Interactive Strauss Zelnick said in a recent Q3'22 earnings call.

"Then there are certain games that are meant to be only multiplayer experiences.

"Rockstar is known for storytelling. And yes, Rockstar's also known for these fantastic open-world experiences. They clearly do both really well.

"[GTA Online's] The Contract shows, as you just said, that consumers are really excited about Rockstar's storytelling ability. And at the same time, we had a great quarter with Grand Theft Auto Online. So there's a lot of excitement there. So the answer is sort of all of the above."

• Rockstar recently confirmed GTA 6's development is "well underway."
• Analysts have reinforced our original predictions that GTA 6 could launch in Take-Two's FY23 timeline to help push yearly revenues to a record $9 billion.
• Meanwhile, the Grand Theft Auto franchise has generated nearly $7.3 billion in revenues since GTA V's release in 2013.
• GTA V sales have surpassed the entire Assassin's Creed franchise with 160 million copies sold to date.
• The new GTA trilogy remaster is off to a strong start with 10 million copies sold during the holiday period.