Rockstar承诺下一款游戏开发不会再用八年时间

Rockstar Games

Some major news has dropped about the entire development process of "Grand Theft Auto 6," and it sheds some much-needed light on why it took so long to make. In a new exclusive feature from Bloomberg, reporter Jason Schreier went inside Rockstar North and spoke to a litany of developers and executives about "GTA 6," the company's past, and its future. While the main focus of the feature is the game's numerous delays and development timeline, there are also interesting tidbits about Rockstar's future beyond "GTA 6."

It's no secret that "GTA 6" underwent one of the longer development cycles for a game in recent memory. This was coupled with a couple of infamous delays that left the CEO of Take-Two Interactive, Strauss Zelnick, "flabbergasted." However, the entire strenuous development cycle for "GTA 6" has apparently armed Rockstar with the tools and knowledge needed to not let its next game take nearly as long to make.

Rockstar vows it won't take another eight years to develop a new game

Rockstar Games

The three co-heads of development at Rockstar spoke with Bloomberg about the making of "GTA 6" and its delays. In short, Rockstar was forced to put all developers on "Red Dead Redemption 2" up until its release in 2018, and after that, "GTA 6" was left without a clear vision until roughly 2022. Finally, it took an immense amount of work to implement new systems and fulfill the ambitions for the game. 

However, it all seemed to pay off in the long run, as Rockstar now feels that it's in a much better spot as a studio moving forward. Phil Hooker, one of the three heads of development at Rockstar, stated that future games will be far more streamlined as a result of "GTA 6," and it won't take another eight years to see a new release.

"The engine, the tools, and the team we've built during this project will allow us to do things more quickly. I feel confident that we can build on top of this and go more sideways than upwards to build more compelling content."

Fellow co-head of development Aaron Garbut echoed the same belief, saying, "We foundationally changed a lot of stuff on this project. But now it's done, and we're not going to rip it apart." From the sound of it, Rockstar seems to know what it needs to do to develop games faster and more efficiently. Of course, things won't return to the way they used to at Rockstar, which previously pumped out a new title nearly every year in the early 2000s. At the very least, though, it appears fans won't have to wait another decade to play Rockstar's next creation.

What will Rockstar's next game be?

Rockstar Games

While Rockstar told Bloomberg about how much it's learned from "GTA 6" and how it will affect its future development plans, there was nothing unveiled about the next game in the company's iconic library. It's widely assumed that a sequel to "Red Dead Redemption 2" would be next up on the docket, but there are currently no leaks or information surrounding that potential project.

Instead, Rockstar could develop the next iteration of one of its dormant franchises. It's been claimed that Rockstar has started and cancelled development of a "Bully" sequel on multiple occasions, so could the company return to the drawing board for that game? It seems unlikely but not out of the realm of possibility.

The far more likely franchise to get a reboot is "L.A. Noire," which has been recently rumored to be Rockstar's next project. According to old leaks on a "GTA" forum website, Rockstar has tossed around the idea of a "L.A. Noire" sequel in the past few years. While this rumor might not have much merit on its own, Rockstar acquired a game studio called Video Games Deluxe in 2025, which employs several of the original "L.A. Noire" developers. This company was renamed Rockstar Australia and has presumably been helping with "GTA 6" since it was acquired. However, perhaps now the studio will turn its attention to a new project that it has some past experience with.

Of course, with how tight-lipped Rockstar tends to be, we likely won't know about its next project for an extended period of time. Fortunately, though, it looks like players won't have to wait as long to play it thanks to "GTA 6" and its development.