PC players have been most likely disheartened to study that, very similar to all earlier Rockstar video games, Grand Theft Auto 6 could be arriving a little bit afterward Home windows. However in accordance with a former Rockstar developer, the choice to go console-first principally has to do with advertising and marketing.

Based on former Rockstar developer Mike York (who’s beforehand labored on GTA 5 and Purple Useless Redemption 2 and mentioned this in a YouTube video) the corporate at all times prioritizes “what sells.”

“One of many primary issues I need to contact on is that the explanation why a PC port comes later and never the very first thing that comes out is as a result of they need to prioritize what sells,” he defined. “More often than not, particularly up to now, PlayStation was the massive vendor. So what the developer would do is they might focus all their vitality on ensuring the PlayStation port and the PlayStation recreation labored very well.

“Then they might form of port to the Xbox —normally they’d do it on the similar time. Once I was working over on GTA 5, as an illustration, we have been concentrating on the PS3 and the Xbox on the time. However we have been primarily pushing the PS3 to the restrict as a result of the PS3 was form of higher {hardware} on the time to make use of reminiscence and various things.”

Already breaking the document for the quickest trailer in any leisure medium to rack up 100 million views, it’s secure to imagine that GTA 6 will likely be shattering the gross sales charts upon launch in a means that may make its predecessor — the second best-selling online game of all time — seem like a modest success.

If gross sales have traditionally leaned in the direction of consoles, then Rockstar could be extra more likely to give attention to these platforms. Whereas that may come off as callous to PC fans, Mike additional explains that it’s one of many the explanation why Rockstar video games are so polished, whatever the platform.

Prioritizing platforms makes for a extra handy launch

That being mentioned, there’s a silver lining to this mind-set. There have been some damaged PC ports launched this final 12 months, like The Final of Us and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Rockstar taking some additional time to work on the PC model may hopefully keep away from the identical pitfall different firms bumped into.

Moreover, as York explains it, this provides Rockstar the possibility to actually push the bounds of its tech with the PC model. “For example, they could go right into a scene and go, ‘Oh, we’re on PC now, we have now a little bit bit extra reminiscence, we will add some fog into right here like we at all times needed to, nevertheless it was an excessive amount of for the console.’ They will do lots of various things like including extra characters, they’ll populate higher foliage.”

Understanding PC players, they most likely admire the gesture.