Grand Theft Auto 5 set a new record for development costs when it launched, and some in the industry think its sequel might do that all over again and more, setting a new benchmark for development scale, budget, and cultural impact.
The industry expert in question is Devolver Digital co-founder Nigel Lowrie, speaking to IGN (via Eurogamer) about the difficulties of having games set to release in close proximity to major bombs like Grand Theft Auto 6 or Hollow Knight: Silksong.
He discussed the logistical issues of both releasing games near such massive titles and of delaying to avoid them; and, while Silksong had an undeniable impact on other indie games, including Devolver’s own Baby Steps, the launch of GTA6 is expected to dwarf even other AAA games.
Because of that, Lowrie thinks it should be classified even higher, even going so far as to refer to it as the first “AAAAA” game.
Unmatched In Scale, Budget, And Impact
You may remember that, in early 2024, Ubisoft called Skull and Bones, definitely one of the video games of all time, the industry’s first AAAA game in order to justify charging $70 for it.
Earlier, back in 2020, The...
