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Grand Theft Auto VI has the presence of one of those cliché high school bullies that, when they walk down the hall, you quickly get out of their way in fear of being shoved into a locker.
As hyperbolic as that may seem, it’s clear game studios have felt the looming presence of Rockstar Games’ GTA 6. Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy producer, Eric Chort, even went as far to say “GTA is like the ogre, it’s the biggest one” in an interview with Eurogamer. According to Chort, that presence has led “all the studios in the world” to adjust their release plans and avoid going anywhere near the game’s November 19 launch window.
As a result, a batch of games is set to release in a crowded six week period during late September through late October. At first, it’s almost laughable to think some of these games are at risk. Marvel’s Wolverine? A new Silent Hill? Call of Duty 4? But if you know anything about the wait for GTA 6 and the fans that have been doing the waiting, it all makes sense.
One notable moment that could shed some light on that…devotion…for those unfamiliar is a post from r/GTA user Remarkable_Bag3785. Back when fans were expecting a May 12 trailer launch date, the user posted: “I can’t stop thinking about May 12th. Flashes of Jason and Lucia constantly pop into my head. It’s almost like I can feel and talk to them. ‘We’re coming tomorrow, don’t worry buddy.’ Tomorrow is the day we’ve all been waiting for. Be ready guys cause it’s gonna be a fricking movie.”
That “fricking movie” trailer never came and still hasn’t. One can only hope that Remarkable_Bag3785 got some well-deserved sleep that night.
Upcoming promotional content and info about the game aside, who is it then that decided to take GTA 6 head on? Who could possibly dare to rival such a behemoth of a release with their own?
Barbzilla.
That’s Atari’s Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered and Barbie: Rewind, to be clear. Both remakes are currently set to launch on Nov. 3 and 12, respectively, and appear to be the only releases daring to share a window with GTA 6.
Now, if there’s anything to be said about the success of a certain Barbie and destructive force collab in the past, this bold move from Atari may very well give GTA 6 a run for its money. Well, sort of. While it’s obvious to anyone that Rockstar’s long-awaited release will be earth-shattering upon release, Atari is looking to tap into pure nostalgia, which always snags the interest of gamers if done well.
That said, Atari’s confidence raises an interesting question about whether launching alongside a juggernaut like GTA 6 is a guaranteed losing move. While most studios are standing clear, and understandably so, there could be a chance for nostalgia-driven or even indie titles to carve their own spaces by simply appealing to players looking for something different or less mainstream.
How Barbzilla will fare against the mighty ogre in November remains to be seen. As of now, it’s shaping up to be one of the more entertaining clashes of the release calendar, even if the outcomes feel fairly predictable.
The post Every Game Release Is Avoiding GTA 6 Except Two Pop Culture Giants appeared first on Den of Geek.
