If there’s a giant winner within the wake of the delay of Grand Theft Auto 6 from Might 26, 2026 to November 19, 2026, it’s 007 First Gentle.
In September final yr IO Interactive, the Danish developer of the Hitman video games, had slapped James Bond motion journey 007 First Gentle with a March 27, 2026 launch date — simply two months forward of the discharge of GTA 6 earlier than Rockstar introduced its delay to November.
Two months can be, underneath regular circumstances, loads of room for 2 video video games to breathe, however that is GTA 6 we’re speaking about. It appears to be like set to turn into not solely the most important online game launch of all time, however the greatest… something launch of all time. You could possibly see a state of affairs the place the broader gaming public may save their hard-earned money for GTA 6, even when they fairly just like the look of the promising 007 First Gentle — particularly with hypothesis that Rockstar might find yourself charging much more than $70 for it.
And so, two months was actually shut sufficient for 007 to be caught up within the gravitational pull of Rockstar’s behemoth, so huge an affect it would absolutely have on the online game area. Not even James Bond in a souped-up Aston Martin would have a lot of an opportunity of breaking free.
And it sounds just like the builders at IO Interactive knew that each one too nicely. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, CEO Hakan Abrak was requested about GTA 6 kindly getting out of 007’s manner.
“It might be a lie to not say that clearly spring appears to be like actually good,” he replied. “I need to say in the identical breath that GTA 6 is a welcome factor for the business. I do imagine numerous avid gamers who possibly have not performed for some time will get into issues once more, and customarily for the business as an entire, I feel that shall be superb.”
Abrak’s feedback in regards to the optimistic affect of GTA 6 echo these of Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, who has prompt the sport’s launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Sequence X and S (sorry PC avid gamers, no launch for you… for now) will spark a surge in console gross sales. Such is the may of GTA 6 that it’ll little doubt persuade a military of avid gamers to lastly improve from the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One to the current-gen, or push PC avid gamers over the sting to allow them to get in on the enjoyable at launch.
And let’s not neglect Star Wars film The Mandalorian and Grogu, which was set to return out in the identical week as GTA 6. Sure, GTA 6 will most likely hit all types of leisure exhausting because the world dives into the following iteration of Vice Metropolis. The Pressure be damned.
However whereas there are winners in all this, there are losers, too — one thing we at IGN have regarded into following the GTA 6 delay. Microsoft has a raft of video games due out subsequent yr that will find yourself hit exhausting by GTA 6, akin to the following Fable, Halo: Marketing campaign Developed, Gears of Battle E-Day, and even 2026’s Name of Obligation. However Sony might be shifting nervously on the prospect of Insomniac’s PlayStation 5 unique, Marvel’s Wolverine, getting absorbed by the GTA 6 impact, too.
All of the whereas, James Bond himself is off having a celebratory vodka martini, “shaken, not stirred” after all. With GTA 6 out the image, the world well-known undercover agent has a transparent run to success.
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You may attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
