'Grand Theft Auto 6' rumors: Next game release likely delayed until 2018

[photo: Commons Wikimedia/Rockstar Games]

"Grand Theft Auto" (GTA) followers may have to wait a little bit longer as far as the next installment for the GTA franchise is concerned.

The last of the franchise was "Grand Theft Auto 5," which saw a release of its personal computer (PC) version last year. Even though that was a bit overdue, considering it took two years to follow up the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 4 version, many are now wondering when the sixth installment could come out.

To date there is no official word on whether Rockstar Games is indeed working on GTA 6; but the reason behind could be obvious.

For one, Rockstar recently lost one of its influential executives in Leslie Benzies. While the initial belief was that Benzies went on a sabbatical, Rockstar later on announced that the executive will no longer return.

So with Benzies out, a shakeup is currently bothering the company. Aaron Garbut and Rob Nelson have been tasked to fill in the role vacated by Benzies, so it may take a while for the two to pick up and get the game development team in order.

Per Neurogadget, GTA 6 may no longer be released for old game consoles such as Xbox 360 and PlayStation 4. Rather, version for the Xbox Two and PlayStation 5 will be the ones targeted by Rockstar.

Tying it up, that could add to the delay in the development, which could also buy the company time as far as getting the new personnel in sync.

The PlayStation 5 is already in development, while the Xbox Two has been rumored to be on the way (to development as well).

If the report is indeed true, GTA 6 could likely come out with better graphics (think 4K display). Also, it somehow goes in line with the release cycle of the company. If so, this could all make sense if one aligns the release of the next generation game consoles, setting up a potential 2018 release for GTA 6.