GAMERTIMES

The creative director of Ghost of Yotei has revealed that the team at Sucker Punch Productions celebrated when Rockstar officially delayed Grand Theft Auto 6.

Rockstar Games had initially targeted 2025 for GTA 6’s launch, with publisher Take-Two Interactive reaffirming in February that the release was set for “Fall 2025.” However, in early May the studio announced a delay, pushing the highly anticipated title to May 26, 2026, citing the need to “deliver at the level of quality [players] expect and deserve.”

This news was seen as a huge relief across the gaming industry, especially for developers and publishers planning to release games in late 2025. Competing with GTA 6 during the same release window would have been a major financial risk for any studio.

Nate Fox, creative director of Ghost of Yotei, confirmed this during a rapid-fire interview with MinnMax. When asked, “When GTA 6 was delayed did the entire studio pop some champagne?” Fox replied:

“We’re all still hungover. Multi-month hangover. That was a great day.”

Industry reports earlier this year suggested rival publishers were hesitant to lock in Fall 2025 release dates, waiting to see if Rockstar would stick to its schedule or slip into 2026. With the delay now official, studios have more breathing room to schedule their launches without the shadow of GTA 6 dominating the market.

Meanwhile, Ghost of Yotei is set to release exclusively on PS5 by October 2, 2025, giving Sucker Punch a major spotlight without Rockstar’s juggernaut overshadowing it.