The GTA Online Summer Update has arrived on all platforms and is now live.
The new content and patch notes can be reviewed and there's some cool stuff despite some mixed reactions.
GTA Online Summer Update Reactions
The community reaction to the update has been mixed.
Fans love the game, so it takes a lot for them to criticize it after so much success over the last seven years. The fact it is so popular says a lot.
There are a lot of compliments for the F1 cars that are now available, and the new missions that finally give yachts a purpose.
READ MORE: New cars in the GTA online summer update
It's always nice to see cool new clothing, and the closing of some of the bugs.
But bubbling underneath it all is a bit of melancholy about the new additions
CHOICE WORDS: Some fans have called out the in-game pricing
Some have questioned the pricing structure in-game, particularly the BF club car being $1.28m.
What were you expecting?
Fans have been spoilt by Rockstar.
Keeping the game fresh for so long is not an easy feat. And with a background of a pandemic that halted most of the world for three months, its not surprising that the update isn't the biggest they have ever done.
READ MORE: New missions in GTA Online Summer Update
It is also highly likely that a proportion of the team's focus has shifted to planning and working on GTA 6 for the next-gen consoles.
Gaming is changing
Gaming as a service is fast becoming the new model.
Even annual sports titles like Madden are adopting this approach as a way of managing fan expectations.
No longer are edits rushed through production to hit launch dates. Developers will take their time and plan accordingly.
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But with this, they are only just getting used to the higher levels of community engagement needed to manage these expectations.
READ MORE: How to make money in GTA Online
Knowing when to keep updates coming, and when to release a whole new title, is going to be the learning curve for Rockstar and other developers.
GTA 6
Speculation about a GTA 6 release date has been in full swing since early 2020.
It's unlikely that we will see it arrive this year, but as soon as the next-gen consoles land it could be a countdown to what would definitely be the biggest game of the year.
READ MORE: GTA Online beginners guide