The publishers of GTA 6, Take-Two Interactive, have laid off a significant portion of its staff and canceled a slew of upcoming games in an effort to reduce costs.
This news comes alongside an unfortunate number of recent gaming industry layoffs and is a response to the state of the market in a post-pandemic world. A series of projects have also been canceled at Take-Two to help reduce costs. However, Grand Theft Auto fans looking forward to Rockstar’s next flagship game can rest easy.
GTA 6 Maker Take-Two Fires 5% of Staff
In total, Take-Two is looking to make savings of up to $200 million. To do this, it has canceled a number of unannounced projects, which will account for $140 million of the savings. It will then fire 5% of its workforce, which equates to roughly just under 600 employees who will be out of a job. This will save $35 million, and a further $25 million will be saved by reducing office space.
In a recent SEC filing, Take-Two referred to these layoffs as a way to “eliminate headcount and reduce future hiring needs” to “streamline its organizational structure.” They also mentioned that they would be “eliminating several projects in development.” They did not disclose specific details of these projects.
Is GTA 6 Being Canceled?
Any Grand Theft Auto fans out there worried about GTA 6 can relax. Rockstar’s upcoming behemoth will be unaffected by Take-Two’s recent game cancellations. As one of the most anticipated games of all time, there is absolutely no danger of it being canceled.
As the previous title in the series, GTA 5, received over $1 billion in its first week, Take-Two must be expecting its heavily anticipated sequel to more than surpass its gargantuan levels of success. However, there have been some recent concerns regarding a possible delay for GTA 6. We imagine the upcoming layoffs may have some impact on game development time.
Regardless of when GTA 6 comes out, our hearts go out to those affected by the layoffs. They will join a growing list of people let go by companies such as Riot, EA, Sony, Microsoft, and more. Do you have any thoughts on the recent culling of games industry jobs? Let us know in the comments below. For more news surrounding GTA 6, check out our Guide Hub.