Shams Jorjani, the CEO of Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead, has spoken more about GTA 6‘s recent delay, and what it means for the studio.
Jorjani was a guest on The Game Business’ YouTube channel recently, where while also discussing topics such as Helldivers 2’s Xbox debut, he also addressed the news that earlier this month Rockstar was delaying the release of GTA 6 from May into November next year. The Arrowhead CEO noted when GTA 6 does materialise, it will “blot out the sun in a way unimaginable” for everyone else in the industry.
However, for Helldivers 2, this delay will give the team a “stay of execution”.
“If it’s releasing six months later, then it means that’s another six months of uninterrupted work without GTA looming over us” Jorjani laughed when discussing the impact of the delay for Helldivers 2.
“We try to do our planning and not look too much at what else is happening around the time we are releasing stuff,” the Arrowhead CEO furthered, “but GTA has obviously been very hard to avoid.”
The CEO added he doesn’t think a studio would “go out and delay stuff” until it’s “sure that the new date is going to stick”. While the most recent delay is not GTA 6’s first delay, Jorjani said he “thinks this new date’s going to stick” (emphasis added on the think).
“So, ask me again in May what we’re doing then, because right now I don’t think we’re doing anything different from November…”
When host Chris Dring noted that for some publishers and developers the GTA 6 delay will be a pivotal moment in their own hypothetical releases, Jorjani said it is all part of existing in the same space as Rockstar’s juggernaut franchise.
“This is why, when I was at Paradox, releasing grand strategy games in Q4 was the best thing ever,” he said. “It was crowded as hell for everyone else, but who else is releasing a grand strategy? Releasing in December was great for Paradox, and I think it still is.”
He added Paradox, which is known for games such as Victoria 3 and Crusader Kings, never has to worry about the GTAs of this world. The team at Paradox don’t have the “same influencers” or “target the same media”, he noted. The same can’t be said for everyone, though, and for “everyone else, it’s going to be terrible” to contend with.
You can check out the full chat with Shams Jorjani below.
GTA developer Rockstar is currently making additional headlines following the firing of staff members in a move seen by many as ‘union busting’. Last week, over 200 employees from Rockstar North signed a letter to management, in which they condemned its actions.
Rockstar’s controversial dismissal of its employees has since been brought up in UK Parliament, with Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine urging “Ministers to support workers who have lost their jobs, and stop this from happening again”.
