Grand Theft Auto V released back in 2013 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Now, in 2020 we have just seen the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
Two generations later and GTA 6 still hasn't even been announced, never mind released.
Is GTA 6 Happening?
Although GTA 6 hasn't officially been announced by Rockstar, it is very likely that the game is already in development.
There has been speculation that the game isn't being worked on due to the success of GTA Online, giving Rockstar less of an incentive to make a new game to generate new revenue.
GTA Online is rumoured to be earning between $500-700 million per year in revenue from Shark Cards and other microtransactions.
But, there is no reason why progress from GTA Online couldn't be carried over to the new GTA 6, and will likely be the case.
GTA V generated over $1 billion in its first three days of release, and has gone on to sell over 135 million copies world wide.
So although GTA Online is generating a large amount of revenue, it pales in comparison to the revenue that would be made with the release of a brand new game.
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Where Will GTA 6 Be Set?
There is a lot of speculation regarding which location the new title would be set in.
The current speculation is either London, or Vice City, which is based on Miami.
The GTA trilogy on PlayStation 2 were set in Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas.
GTA 4 was set in Liberty City, the same as GTA 3.
GTA V was set in San Andreas, the same as GTA San Andreas.
So it makes sense that Vice City would be the location of 6.
However, a spin-off game was released after the release of the original GTA game called Grand Theft Auto London 1969, fuelling rumours that we may see the city of London recreated in a GTA game.
What GTA 6 Can Learn From Cyberpunk 2077
With games getting bigger and bigger as technology advances, it doesn't always mean games are getting better.
Cyberpunk 2077 began development back in 2012, before GTA V had released, and wasn't released until earlier this month.
The game was set to be CD Projekt Red's most ambitious project yet, and it was.
However, when the game launched it was plagued by issues, especially on the console versions.
The game shipped in such a bad state that Sony even pulled the game from its digital store and offered all users a refund.
Considering CDPR has always been placed on a pedestal by gamers, this must have hurt.
CDPR has reportedly lost $1 billion in company value due to the controversial launch of Cyberpunk 2077.
I wrote an opinion piece on whether Cyberpunk 2077 has shown that it may be time to scale games back, I highly suggest you read it by clicking the link below.
READ MORE: Cyberpunk 2077: It's time to scale back video games
The main thing GTA 6 and Rockstar can learn from Cyberpunk 2077 is, make sure the game ships in a playable and polished state.
It may actually play in Rockstar's favour that the game hasn't even been announced yet, as fans don't have any expectations on when they can play it.
This gives the developers room to ensure the game is finished rather than shipping to meet a deadline.
Cyberpunk 2077 faced numerous delays and it had become a do or die situation for CDPR as fans grew impatient.
The good news is, Rockstar has never been one to rush a game, as evident by GTA 6.
GTA V released in a very good state and has had few changes to it over the years.
GTA 4 was a little more rocky, however the issues were mainly confined to the PC port, but these issues weren't really present when it came to the PC port of GTA V.
It seems that Rockstar knows exactly what they're doing and how to make it happen.
So all we can do is keep our fingers crossed that GTA 6 won't end up facing the same controversy as Cyberpunk 2077 has.
Although, maybe by the time GTA 6 finally releases, Cyberpunk will be a distant memory as Rockstar don't seem in any sort of rush to release it.
GTA V is due to be ported over to the PlayStation 5 in 2021, meaning it will have been released on three different generations of consoles in 8 years.
In contrast, Rockstar released 3 GTA games on PS2 in just 4 years.