Spirits were running high at this year’s Summer Game Fest amid the gaming industry’s excitement for the upcoming release of “Grand Theft Auto VI” — despite the fact the Rockstar Games title had no presence during the four-day event.
No, “GTA 6” wasn’t formally part of host Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest Live presentation or during the hands-on media and creator events in downtown Los Angeles. But its presence was felt as release dates were announced that specifically accommodated for the game’s debut, which is set to dominate all sectors of pop culture in November.
And according to the gaming studio executives and developers Variety spoke with on the ground, they’re more than OK with a stacked September (including Remedy’s “Control Resonant,” PlayStation’s “Wolverine,” Nintendo’s “Orbitals”) and a crowded early 2027 calendar (Capcom’s “Resident Evil Veronica,” Amazon’s “Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis”) if it means the industry as a whole will benefit from the boom “GTA 6” is set to give the gaming biz.
“I just will take that as a reflection of good for the industry and good for players, right?” Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty told Variety during Xbox Games Showcase, which took place on Sunday amid the ongoing Game Fest events. This weekend, Xbox revealed an Oct. 6 release date (not September, but pretty darn close) for its biggest release of the year, “Gears of War: E-Day,” and set its new “Fable” game to launch Feb. 23, 2027. As previously announced, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4” will come out Oct. 23.
