Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard has caught the radar of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s regulator. The CMA opened an investigation and began examining the billion-dollar deal. Microsoft’s response to the investigation was swift, and the company defended itself with a document. Surprisingly, some information in the document gave information about the release date of GTA 6.
Microsoft essentially argues that Call of Duty alone hasn’t built up enough market share to hurt the competition, and thus points to franchises like Grand Theft Auto. The most striking point is on page 24 of the document: “The highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) is expected to be released in 2024.”
Given the level of collaboration between Microsoft and Rockstar, we can say that this information is most likely correct. But the company is under CMA investigation and a billion-dollar deal could be at stake. Therefore, it is not possible to say anything definite about the accuracy of the information.
Incoming information suggests that the game could be released by 2025, but a 2024 release date seems unlikely. There’s also a good chance Rockstar will initially announce a 2024 release date and delay it to next year. A game on the scale of Grand Theft Auto VI needs all the polish and time it needs to be developed.
