After two delays, Grand Theft Auto 6 is finally set to release on November 19 – right in the middle of the lucrative October to December holiday period. Typically, you'll get a barrage of Triple-A games that are released around this time as everyone jockeys for a piece of the market.
However, analysts have predicted that GTA 6 will be one of the biggest media releases ever, with no publisher eager to try to directly compete with Rockstar's behemoth. As a result, the holiday period is surprisingly light on major releases, with many targeting the post-January period after some of Grand Theft Auto's hype cycle died down.
One of the certainties in life, however, is the release of an annual Call of Duty game, and Activision doesn't hold back for anyone. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is set to release a few weeks before GTA 6 on October 23rd.
Infinity Ward isn't afraid of the GTA 6 competition
In an interview with Destructoid, Infinity Ward co-studio head Mark Grigsby said that there's always pressure to release a big game, and Modern Warfare 4 is no different.
“I always feel the pressure; I've been in this industry for 28 years, and every product I've introduced, I have the weight of the world, not even as a studio head, but as a developer,” he began. “There's a lot of pressure to make sure you're creative enough to entertain the public.”
However, he's not particularly worried about Grand Theft Auto 6. After all, Call of Duty is one of the few series that will sell well no matter what else is coming out at the same time.
“I've been a fan of GTA from top-down [games] Back in the day. And I look forward to playing it. Afraid of it? No… I think it's healthy for the industry to have juggernauts like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty and Fortnite, and whatever other big studios or products that come out, to uplift… and you know, a little head-to-head, that's good,” he said.
Modern Warfare 4 won't be Day One on Game Pass, so we'll once again be able to properly gauge the commercial strength of the series. The game is unlikely to reach the heights of Grand Theft Auto 6, but Infinity Ward will be reasonably confident that its core player base Rockstar won't turn their heads.
