New GTA 6 Report Sheds Light on Rockstar’s Struggles, Delays, and Massive Studio Expansion

The hype around GTA 6 is real, which is understandable considering that it is one of the biggest game releases from Rockstar yet. Keeping all the leaks aside, it is safe to say in other words that GTA 6 is Rockstar Games’ biggest gamble yet. But it seems getting there wasn’t easy.

In a new Bloomberg report, journalist Jason Schreier reveals how the studio spent more than eight years building the blockbuster. The journey involved major delays, difficult decisions, and a company that had to rebuild itself.

GTA 6’s development took longer than Rockstar expected

Per the Bloomberg’s deep dive into the making of GTA VI, development began with much bigger ambitions. The project, internally known as Project Americas, originally envisioned large areas across North and South America. Rockstar eventually narrowed its focus to Vice City and the surrounding regions.

The development of Red Dead Redemption 2 also pushed GTA 6 back by several years. Rockstar initially hoped to work on both games simultaneously. However, Red Dead Redemption 2 demanded most of the studio’s resources before its 2018 launch.

Rockstar has since shifted toward concentrating its workforce on one major game at a time. Its employee count grew from 2,441 in 2018 to 4,711 across 12 offices by 2026. That expansion reflects the enormous scale of the project and the challenges of coordinating thousands of developers.

Rockstar had to rethink how it builds games

The report also highlights a difficult period when developers struggled to settle on GTA 6’s overall direction. Leadership faced disagreements over realism, gameplay systems, and how interactive the open world should become. The team had to balance believable everyday activities with the fast-paced entertainment expected from Grand Theft Auto.

Development leadership is now shared by Rob Nelson, Aaron Garbut, and Phil Hooker. Rockstar also invested heavily in its technology and tools to support the game’s increasingly detailed world. The studio faced further challenges, including major gameplay leaks in 2022 and renewed scrutiny over workplace policies. Rockstar says it has taken steps to reduce excessive overtime, although employee concerns have not been addressed entirely.

GTA 6 could change Rockstar’s future

Per the report, Rockstar’s leadership believes the technology built for GTA VI should help accelerate future development. The studio hopes its next major game won’t require another eight-year journey.

As you may know, GTA 6 is currently scheduled to launch on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. With expectations this high, Rockstar’s biggest challenge is turning years of work into a blockbuster worthy of the wait. For those waiting for a PC release, there might be some good news after all.