GTA 6 Is Making November a Dead Zone for Video Game Releases

This week saw two major presentations: State of Play and Summer Game Fest. Both highlighted a trend that has emerged because of GTA 6. Developers and publishers are eager to release their games in September or, at the latest, October to avoid competing with Grand Theft Auto VI, which is scheduled to launch on November 19.

The ninth month of the year already features more than ten major titles, including:

• The Blood of Dawnwalker — September 3,
• Halloween: The Game — September 8,
• Marvel’s Wolverine — September 15,
• Control Resonant — September 23,
• Silent Hill: Townfall — September 24.

October includes:

• Rayman Legends Retold — October 1,
• Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve — October 2,
• Star Wars: Galactic — October 6,
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 — October 23.

As things stand, only a handful of games are expected to launch in November, and none of them are major blockbuster releases.

The gaming community is already wondering whether it makes sense to pack so many launches into such a short period and compete for attention against one another. Then again, that still seems easier than going head-to-head with GTA VI itself.