Former Rockstar developer Mike York warns that further delays to Grand Theft Auto 6 could kill public interest. He believes Rockstar is meticulously polishing the game to meet immense expectations, but prolonged waits risk alienating fans. York anticipates a November 2026 release, citing it as an optimal period for sales ahead of the holiday season. Former Rockstar Games developer Mike York has a critical warning for the Take-Two-owned gaming studio. He has warned that the hype and public interest around Grand Theft Auto 6 will “die down” almost completely if the game faces any more delays. In an interview with Esports Insider (as seen by Dexerto), York said: “We’ve been waiting so long for GTA 6 already that if there was to be another delay, people will probably stop caring about its release even more. If Rockstar Games delay GTA 6 again then the hype around the game will die down almost completely. Right now, nobody is searching for GTA 6. Everyone knows there’s no news, there’s nothing to talk about… There’s a point to where you delay something so much that you start to make people angry.”York cited fan reactions showing growing frustration, with some saying they “don’t even care anymore” because repeated delays keep letting them down.“People aren’t itching to find new details or a latest leak anymore, they’re over it. They are thinking, ‘it will come out when it comes out’, as they’re so burnt out from thinking it will come out soon and then it doesn’t… And then they’re like, ‘OK, whatever…’” he added.The game’s delay from May to November 2026 even caused anger in Poland’s parliament, with an opposition lawmaker calling the postponement “a huge scandal” during a session.
Why Ex-Rockstar developer thinks Rockstar has been delaying the game
Explaining Rockstar’s reason behind GTA 6 delay, York said: “If I know Rockstar Games, and I know the guys over there, one of the reasons for the delay in releasing GTA 6 is because they’re trying to make it look as best as it can possibly be. They’re polishing stuff. I don’t think they’re completely finished with the game, given how much is on the line and how big everyone’s expectations are for it.”York believes Rockstar is aiming to meet very high internal standards and may not feel it has reached that level yet.“I think the game will be released in November 2026 as it’s a good time for the game to come out for Rockstar for multiple reasons to sell video games. If you want to sell a big amount of video games then that’s the perfect time for GTA 6 to come out with it being a month before Christmas. Usually companies only delay these things once or twice when they need to, so I think it will come out around that time,” York noted.Till date, Rockstar has released two official trailers of the highly anticiapted game which have confirmed that GTA 6 is set in a modern Vice City. The game will feature dual protagonists, deeper RPG systems, realistic physics, new heist tools and a more evolving open world.
