'Grand Theft Auto VI' release set for late 2025

Rockstar Games parent Take-Two Interactive on Thursday said the eagerly awaited video game "Grand Theft Auto VI" will be released in fall of 2025.

Rockstar had previously said the next installment to the blockbuster franchise would be available next year, without further details.

The "narrowing" of the release came in earnings figures from New York-based Take-Two, though no firm date has been set.

"Consumer anticipation for the title is unprecedented and our expectations for its commercial success continue to increase," Take-Two said.

But executives sidestepped questions seeking details about GTA VI during an earnings call.

"Rockstar hasn't given any details on what its expectations are for the release," Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told analysts.

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"A wonderful trailer that they put out broke the internet and more news will come from Rockstar in the fullness of time."

The trailer shows GTA VI will be set in fictional Vice City, reminiscent of Miami, and appears to feature the first playable female character in the franchise.

Set to the Tom Petty song "Love Is A Long Road," the GTA VI trailer opens with a female character named Lucia being released from prison in what appears to be a fictionalized version of Florida.

Near the close of the one-minute-and-30-second trailer, she tells her male partner in crime: "The only way we are going to get through this is by sticking together, being a team."

The pair go on to burst into a store with pistols drawn and bandanas covering the lower halves of their faces.

Fans were quick to infer the scene meant rumors of a "Bonnie and Clyde" type crime couple are coming true.

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Released a decade ago, predecessor GTA V has sold more than 200 million copies, according to Zelnick.

With the series' wild success has come plenty of controversy.

Critics have from the beginning accused Grand Theft Auto of glorifying violence and encouraging players to engage in criminal behavior – allegations Take-Two executives have denied.

GTA V players sell drugs, fight, rob, go on car rampages and more.

Gameplay options also included assaulting sex workers and going to strip clubs, raising the ire of activists.

Source: AFP