Bloomberg report outlines why Grand Theft Auto 6 took more than eight years to develop
On Oct. 14, 2026, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier published a report explaining why Grand Theft Auto 6 required more than eight years to reach completion and how Rockstar prepared the game for a November 19, 2026 release on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
The report says GTA 6 endured a protracted development cycle marked by multiple delays, the COVID-19 pandemic and leaks, while Rockstar prioritised finishing Red Dead Redemption 2 and only directed full studio resources to GTA 6 after that game's release; the company has vowed their next title won’t take another eight years.
Rockstar originally envisioned a much larger map spanning parts of North and South America but scaled that scope back to Vice City (Miami) and surrounding areas on Leonida after determining the wider plan was too ambitious for the team to complete at the desired quality.
According to Bloomberg, the studio expanded substantially during development, growing from about 2,400 employees in 2018 to over 4,700 developers across 12 studios, and shifted its leadership structure to three different lead developers — Rob Nelson, Aaron Garbut and Phil Hooker — rather than a single game director.
The report states Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos became the core protagonists in 2019 and that developers spent years refining how the two characters interact; players can spend time with both characters outside of story missions, and Jason can text Lucia, arrange meetups and explore the open world together, a form of interaction Rockstar says was a key innovation for GTA 6 that required years of AI research.
Bloomberg attributes much of the delay to the sheer scale of integrating many gameplay systems rather than one isolated technical issue, noting Rockstar emphasised development of more believable NPCs that respond to player actions and trigger unscripted events, and built advanced AI and overlapping systems intended to create natural, unscripted gameplay and interactions between Jason and Lucia.
The report also details external and organisational disruptions: a major 2022 gameplay leak, a separate security breach in 2026 and a new office policy requiring staff to work in the office for security reasons. To address development pressure, Rockstar increased hiring, adjusted schedules and provided extra pay and time off for overtime to avoid the "crunch culture" that drew criticism during Red Dead Redemption 2's production, and the company has denied reports that GTA 6 cost $1.5-2 billion to develop.
Rockstar believes GTA 6 will serve as the technical foundation for future games and that subsequent titles will not require the same prolonged development cycle.