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GTA VI could be getting the same episodic treatment that IV had through the Ballad of Gay Tony. In Rockstar’s financial report from earlier this year, it detailed plans for the studio to continue “offering downloadable episodes,” which was sandwiched in text between sequels and additional content.
The report was only released in mid-September, and offered up a hint of what the release date for the game might look like “in the Fall of calendar 2025.” This claim assuaged concerns that the game was facing delay until the year after that. However, perhaps more interestingly than simple release logistics, Rockstar has teased a glance at what post-release content might look like for GTA VI; episodes.
The Ballad of Gay Tony is perhaps the most standout ‘episode’ which released roughly a year after the base game. Before that, The Lost and Damned also released, which was is packaged with TBoGT in Episodes from Liberty City. However, Grand Theft Auto V didn’t see a similar story expansion. Instead, GTA Online was released.
It’s likely that GTA VI will get a similar online experience, though the latest financial report does tease more than that. To be clear, Rockstar hasn’t confirmed that GTA VI will get episodic content after launch. It’s phrased ambiguously – “Rockstar Games continues to expand on its established series by developing sequels, offering downloadable episodes, and providing additional content.” However, Red Dead Redemption 2 is far from Rockstar’s primary concern, especially since the developmental support on its multiplayer has halted since 2022.
Joe Robino, a former developer at Rockstar, said that a “kick-ass” expansion for GTA V had been planned, though “it was hard to make an argument that a standalone DLC would outcompete [GTA Online]” which at the time, was a huge “cash cow.”
For many, Rockstar’s games are all about story, environment, and narrative. The last two major releases have resisted expanding on this, instead focusing on increasing revenue through multiplayer monetisation. It’s not clear if Rockstar has concrete plans to continue supporting GTA VI through expansion episodes, though it’s certainly something to hope for.
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