Highlights
- GTA 6 and the next FromSoftware game face high expectations due to the immense success of GTA 5 and Elden Ring respectively. Both companies have to recreate the same level of success while impressing fans with new experiences.
- GTA 5's sales figures and innovations, such as a larger map and multiplayer mode, contributed to its massive success. Elden Ring also broke records and received numerous awards, establishing itself as a defining souls-like experience.
- Rockstar and FromSoftware both have a high bar to get over, and funnily enough it is a bar that they set themselves.
Rumors and discussion surrounding Grand Theft Auto 6 have been consistent for a decade at this point, with many considering the title to be one of the most anticipated releases of all time. While the franchise as a whole is quite prestigious, this level of hype can primarily be attributed to the intense and longstanding success of Grand Theft Auto 5.
Like Grand Theft Auto 6, similar amounts of anticipation are already being placed on the next major project by FromSoftware thanks to the massive popularity behind 2022's Elden Ring. With this in mind, it is clear that GTA 6 and the next big FromSoftware title find themselves in the same bittersweet predicament.
Grand Theft Auto 6 and the Next FromSoftware Game: Suffering From Success
First releasing in 2013, the financial and cultural success of Grand Theft Auto 5 most likely surpassed even the most hopeful ambitions Rockstar had for the game prior to launch. This is best evidenced in GTA 5's sales figures, with the title having reportedly sold close to 200 million copies over the past ten years. This sits Grand Theft Auto 5 as the second best-selling game of all time, being locked in a close battle with Mojang's mega sandbox title Minecraft for the top spot.
This success is largely down to the huge innovations that GTA 5 made over 2008's GTA 4, boasting a much larger map, thrice as many protagonists, and a much more informed multiplayer mode. GTA Online in particular was a huge post-launch boost for the title, with the recent explosion in its role-playing scene making it an extremely popular experience to this day.
Elden Ring employed the same improvements over preceding FromSoftware titles in its bid to wow its player-base, with its own map and story being much larger than past entries. A truly record-breaking title, Elden Ring received over 300 awards across the gaming industry, with many now considering it to be the defining experience within the souls-like genre.
While Rockstar and FromSoftware have enjoyed the attractive benefits of GTA 5 and Elden Ring's reception, both companies now find themselves at the same crossroads for any follow-up projects. With the likes of GTA 5 and Elden Ring being considered "perfect" experiences for their respective genres, it is going to be extremely difficult to recreate this while wowing fans in the same way with GTA 6 and the next major FromSoftware title.
Despite being wildly different gaming experiences, GTA 5 and Elden Ring are the flagship releases for Rockstar and FromSoftware which have only increased the fan expectations surrounding any future games. It is already all-but-confirmed that Grand Theft Auto 6 has chosen to wind-down its main characters to two as opposed to GTA 5's three, while compensating for this with more locations for players to explore. FromSoftware will have to make similar difficult decisions in the pursuit of its next project, likely winding down the scale of certain aspects of Elden Ring to make room for improvements in other areas.
While these issues are only a reflection of the craftsmanship and success of past titles, it is a significant problem that will loom over both studios throughout the development of future big experiences. Unless Rockstar and FromSoftware want to be defined by GTA 5 and Elden Ring, both companies face the mammoth task of needing to match and excel beyond any past points of success to keep fans engaged and wanting more.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently in development.