It seems that GTA 6 will have a huge and extremely detailed game world consisting of several large cities as well as numerous smaller locations.
The fictional state of Leonida will provide plenty of variety in the open world with various hot spots such as the Florida Keys or the Everglades.
But the game world of GTA 5 Online is already large and also very detailed. How much work will have to go into the sequel to surpass it? And more importantly, how high will the development costs of GTA 6 be?
How high were the development costs for GTA 5?
The development costs of “Grand Theft Auto V” (GTA 5) amounted to around 137 million US dollars, with total production costs including marketing and distribution estimated at around 265 million US dollars. This figure makes GTA 5 one of the most expensive games of all time!
At the same time, Rockstar Games also generated enormous revenues with GTA 5 Online, with sales of over 1 billion US dollars in just three days after its release.
The developers are also working on the multiplayer mode GTA Online, which is an extremely lucrative part of the “Grand Theft Auto V” franchise. Since its launch in 2013, GTA Online has generated significant revenue for Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive, the parent company, over the years.
How much money does Rockstar Games make with GTA 5 Online?
But where does the high revenue come from? GTA Online’s revenue mainly comes from microtransactions, where players buy virtual currencies, known as Shark Cards, with real money. This virtual currency can then be used in the game to purchase vehicles, real estate and other content.
There are no exact figures on how much revenue GTA Online has generated in total so far, but estimates suggest that the title will have generated over 2 billion US dollars in revenue by 2022. Each financial year, GTA Online contributes significantly to Take-Two Interactive’s revenue and continues to be seen as an important source of income.
And as the lifespan of GTA Online is regularly extended by content updates, events and new activities, revenue is unlikely to dwindle any time soon.
How high are the development costs for GTA 6?
Rockstar Games has not yet officially announced when work on GTA 6 began. However, there are indications that the company has been working on the game for several years. There is speculation in the gaming community and media reports that development has been underway since at least 2014, the year after the release of GTA 5.
For GTA 6, there is less precise information on development costs, as Rockstar Games is usually very tight-lipped about exact costs. However, it is speculated that development costs could be significantly higher than GTA 5, given the increased expectations and technological advances. Reports suggest that the total cost of GTA 6 (including marketing) could be between 1 and 2 billion US dollars, which would make it the most expensive game ever.
However, these figures are estimates and should be treated with caution, as official information from Rockstar Games is rare and the final cost can only be accurately determined after release.
We can also assume that, similar to GTA 5 Online, GTA 6 will be supported by Rockstar Games for many years to come, which of course means that development costs will continue to grow.
Retail price: Will GTA 6 be significantly more expensive?
Due to the overall increase in costs, it is assumed that Rockstar Games will aim for a higher sales price for GTA 6. Specifically, there is talk of customers having to pay around 150 US dollars and 140 euros for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of GTA 6. If this is true, gamers would have to pay around twice as much for the title as is otherwise usual for a full-price title.
And Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two, has also already spoken about the publisher’s pricing. According to him, the prices of popular game series such as GTA or Red Dead Redemption are far too low.
For the company, the value of a game is calculated based on how much playtime it offers, how much playtime can be expected from it and how high the value of the game is generally estimated to be. If you take all these points together, then GTA and other games in the company’s own portfolio would theoretically be offered far too cheaply.
“By that yardstick, our prices are still very, very low because we provide many hours of employment and the value of that employment is very high. So I think the industry as a whole offers fantastic value for money for consumers.“
However, since the release of GTA Online, there has been a change in this respect, as the title has also poured billions into Take-Two’s pockets in recent years through microtransactions.
The customer no longer necessarily buys a game, which would end the relationship between publisher and player. Instead, they continue to invest in a product that is supported by new content over many years – a real live service game!
But will GTA 6 now be more expensive? It’s impossible to answer that at the moment, but even Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive will at least take a little cue from the market and the usual prices.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that the industry has pricing power or wants pricing power at all.” He continues: “Our strategy is to deliver more value than we demand from our consumers. That has always been our strategy,” says Strauss Zelnick.
But how much money would you pay for GTA 6? Feel free to write your opinion in the comments below.
