In traditional Lucasfilm and Disney style, The Book of Boba Fett is shrouded in mystery – aside from the return of the eponymous bounty hunter (played by Temuera Morrison) and his associate Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), The Mandalorian spin-off is playing its Sabacc cards extremely close to its chest. In fact, when it comes to solid intel on the characters who’ll be crossing paths with the galaxy’s most infamous mercenary, even Bothan spies would be pulling their hair out.
But when Fett killed Bib Fortuna to take control of Jabba the Hutt’s vast crime empire, he opened the door to potential encounters with numerous classic Star Wars characters – from fellow bounty hunters, to Imperials and veterans of the Rebel Alliance.
So, making the assumption that if a character isn’t dead they’re fair game for a return – and that even those who are deceased could appear in flashbacks – we’ve assembled a list of the Star Wars heroes and villains who may show up in The Book of Boba Fett.
Everything you’ll read below is based on official Star Wars canon – movies, TV, books and comics – unless we specify otherwise.
“Bounty hunters: we don’t need their scum,” Admiral Piett sneered at an underling in The Empire Strikes Back, but it would be surprising if The Book of Boba Fett shared his point of view. Even before he hooked up with Fennec Shand in The Mandalorian, Boba Fett had a long history of working with other mercenaries.
The famous usual suspects line-up from Darth Vader's Star Destroyer would seem a good place to start recruiting for the new show – because although it was disintegrations specialist Fett who eventually captured Han Solo, it’s likely that most of the other bounty hunters involved would still be in business six years later.
Both Bossk and Dengar have history with Fett, having worked with the aspiring bounty hunter during The Clone Wars (where Dengar was voiced by Simon Pegg). Both make brief background appearances in Return of the Jedi – Dengar in Jabba’s Palace, Bossk on his sail barge – so, assuming neither was on board the latter when it blew up above the Sarlacc, both could have lived to fight another day. In fact, a report in SlashFilm suggests Dengar survives through to The Rise of Skywalker – set three decades after The Book of Boba Fett – in the twisted form of cyborg Rothgar Deng.
IG-88, Zuckuss and 4-LOM completed the famous assortment of mercenaries hired to track down the Millennium Falcon. While it’s widely believed that Boba Fett defeated IG-88 before capturing Han Solo, leaving him for scrap on Cloud City, the droid ‘brother’ of The Mandalorian’s heroic IG-11 was resurrected in the Darth Vader comic book series, where he was hired to eliminate the Emperor’s right-hand man.
Zuckuss and his droid partner 4-LOM, meanwhile, both appear in the Star Wars: Bounty Hunters comic set after The Empire Strikes Back, so are presumably still looking for work by the time The Book of Boba Fett rolls around.
Cad Bane is yet to appear in live-action, but that didn’t bother The Mandalorian when it brought Clone Wars veterans Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze into the fold. Bane, a blue-skinned, Clint Eastwood-channelling bounty hunter, was a regular threat throughout The Clone Wars, and has also turned up in spin-off show The Bad Batch. He hasn’t made any canonical appearances beyond his recent Bad Batch appearance, but the fact he appears in some graffiti in Rebels suggests he was still infamous decades later. It therefore wouldn’t be a stretch for him to crop up in The Book of Boba Fett, especially as Bane’s a former associate of Boba’s dad, Jango.
Unless she gets some flashback scenes, one member of the Bossk/Dengar gang who won’t be showing up is Boba’s old mentor, Aurra Sing – during Solo: A Star Wars Story, it’s confirmed that Tobias Beckett killed her.
And if The Book of Boba Fett production team are looking for a seriously deep dive, there’s one other important Star Wars mercenary who’s long overdue a canonical appearance. “The bounty hunter we ran into on Ord Mantell,” is casually referenced by Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back, yet has never appeared on screen. Non-canon 1981 comic The Bounty Hunter of Ord Mantell told the story of Skorr and his encounter with Solo – could this be the time he’s finally introduced into official continuity?
Other underworld figures
While Leia made sure that Jabba the Hutt was definitively dead – even before his sail barge exploded – we know that his master of ceremonies, Bib Fortuna, survived to take control of his old boss’s crime empire. Fett assassinated Fortuna in The Mandalorian season 2 finale, but who’s to say there aren’t other members of Jabba’s entourage out there?
Cackling Kowakian monkey-lizard court jester Salacious B Crumb, for example, could have jumped ship after snacking on C-3PO’s eye. (That said, he’d be advised to steer clear of Nevarro, where roasted monkey-lizard is sometimes on the menu.)
Mad scientist Dr Evazan and his sidekick PondaBaba survived their Mos Eisley bar brawl with Obi-Wan Kenobi, so could still be at large. And Ochi, the Sith assassin who killed Rey’s parents (as referenced in The Rise of Skywalker) previously had connections with criminal syndicate Crimson Dawn, whose interests could collide with Fett’s own black-market aspirations.
Any Crimson Dawn entanglements could be made even more intriguing if we see the return of Qi’ra, Han Solo’s ex (played by Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke) who became a major player in the organisation. The War of the Bounty Hunters comic reveals that Qi’ra stole the carbonite-encased Solo from Fett in between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, eventually auctioning him off to the highest bidder. Boba Fett may still hold a grudge…
And on the less scummy and villainous side of the underworld there’s pirate queen Maz Kanata, whose castle on Takodana is also a haven for the morally flexible. She even has a Mandalorian flag outside the front door, so may welcome certain bounty hunting visitors.
Luke Skywalker is surely too busy training Grogu to worry about Boba Fett and his business...(Image credit: Lucasfilm/screengrab)
Rebel heroes
With Luke Skywalker busy training Grogu (aka Baby Yoda) in the ways of the Force, and Han Solo, Leia and Chewbacca probably having their hands full raising toddler son (and future Kylo Ren) Ben, it’s unlikely they’ll have a reunion with Boba Fett – even though there’s bound to be some residual animosity on both sides. There’s slightly more chance of a return for Lando Calrissian (who, like Fett, briefly worked for Jabba the Hutt), but we suspect The Book of Boba Fett will largely steer clear of Star Wars’ biggest names.
There are other Rebel Alliance veterans in play at this point in the timeline, however. Pilot Nien Nunb is a former smuggler, so has experience of the underworld, while fellow flying ace Wedge Antilles may have a few more years of action in him before retiring to a quiet life in the Outer Rim with his wife Norra Wexley – the mother of future Resistance pilot Temmin ‘Snap’ Wexley.
We also never found out what happened to former Clone Troopers Rex and Wolffe after the fall of the Empire. They’d surely be intrigued to meet their bounty hunting ‘brother’ Boba – the fact they’re all clones of Jango Fett (also played by Temuera Morrison) means the casting should be easy…
Cobb Vanth, keeping Boba Fett's armor warm in his absence.(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)
Characters from The Mandalorian
With The Mandalorian season 3 storylines to consider, the destinies of Din Djarin (aka Mando) and Grogu are almost definitely separate from Boba Fett’s. There are, however, other characters from the parent show who could crop up in The Book of Boba Fett.
Cobb Vanth, the Mos Pelgo town marshal who kept Fett’s armor warm during his enforced absence, is also on Tatooine, and may have a part to play in the story of how Boba escaped from lunch-by-Sarlacc. And while Mandalorian princess Bo-Katan Kryze has little love for Fett – who she regards as an imposter and a disgrace to the armor – there are plenty of reasons their paths could cross once again.
Former Imperial sharp shooter-turned-career criminal Mayfeld pulled off a successful heist with Fett in The Mandalorian season 2 episode 7, so it may be mutually beneficial for them to work together again.
It’s also unlikely that the newly established New Republic will turn a blind eye to criminal activities across the galaxy, so don’t be surprised if pilots/space cops Carson Teva and Trapper Wolf stick their noses into Boba Fett’s business from time to time.
Carson Teva and the New Republic may take an interest in Boba Fett's affairs.(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)
Imperial remnants and the First Order
After the Battle of Jakku – which took place four years before the events of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett – the remains of the Empire signed a peace treaty with the New Republic. According to Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath novels, Imperial bigwigs – including Admiral Rae Sloane and Commandant Brendol Hux (father of General Hux) – travelled to the Unknown Regions of the galaxy, where they went on to build the First Order.
While the Empire as we knew it is no longer in business, however, we know from The Mandalorian that there are sizeable, and dangerous, Imperial remnants making their presence felt across the galaxy – much like the one led by the now-incarcerated Moff Gideon.
The question is, how much will their operations come into Boba Fett’s orbit? The two sides do have a history of working together if their interests align, so don’t be surprised to see Fett joining forces with people dressed in Imperial uniforms once again.
The Book of Boba Fett streams on Disney Plus from December 29.
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If you're on the hunt for a great gaming deal at this year's Black Friday deals event, then it's well worth considering pickin...
Why Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the best subscription to pick up this Black Friday
If you're on the hunt for a great gaming deal at this year's Black Friday deals event, then it's well worth considering picking up a gaming subscription. Gaming subscriptions grant you access to gaming content for a monthly or annual fee - a bit like Netflix for games.
There are a plethora of gaming subscription services around, from PS Now, which allows you to stream PS2, PS3, and PS4 games on PS5, PS4, and PC, to Nintendo Switch Online, which grants access to online multiplayer and a growing library that includes NES and SNES titles. But there's one gaming subscription service that beats them all: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the king of gaming subscriptions right now, offering access to over 100 top-notch games, access to online multiplayer, and much more. What's more, we expect it to be discounted as part of Black Friday Xbox Series X deals.
Why is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate so good?
(Image credit: 343 Industries)
So what makes Xbox Game Pass Ultimate the daddy of gaming subscription services? Well, it's primarily the amount of content and features it packs in.
With an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, you get (deep breath) access to over 100 games in the Xbox Game Pass library on both PC and console, access to first-party Xbox games which land in the library on day one, access to Xbox cloud gaming, exclusive member discounts and deals and Xbox Live Gold included, which grants access to online multiplayer and offers a handful of free games to download and keep each month.
Let's break down each of these elements. For a start, the Xbox Game Pass library is heaving with games to play, from Xbox 360 games to the latest Xbox exclusives, and new games are constantly being added to it. What's more, it grants access to EA Play titles like FIFA 21 and Knockout City. However, the biggest draw of the Xbox Game Pass library is that new Xbox first-party titles land on it on day one. That means when Halo Infinite arrives in December, Xbox Game Pass subscribers will immediately be able to play it as part of their subscription.
It's fantastic value, given that an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate yearly subscription is around £139.99 / $194.59 (though three month and monthly subscriptions are available, more on that below), and a new Xbox first-party release on its own, including Halo, costs around $60/£50. At least with the subscription, you get plenty of games for your money - as well as the ability to play them on mobile devices thanks to Ultimate's cloud gaming feature (though this is currently in beta).
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate typically costs $14.99 / £10.99 per month, $44.99 / £32.99 for three months, £69.99 / $97.29 or (as we said above) £139.99 / $194.59 annually. But a sweet entry deal means you can pick up your first month for just a $1 / £1 trial price. While that seems mighty tempting, we suggest holding out for Black Friday because, if Microsoft decides to repeat a previous offer, we expect to see this extended to three months as part of their Black Friday deals.
That means you might be able to get three months for just $1/£1, allowing you to trial the service for a lengthy period before committing to a longer subscription. If you don't like it, you can easily cancel the recurring monthly billing that is set to occur after that period. If you do like it, then you can commit to full membership. If you already have a membership and want to renew or simply want to jump in with both feet into annual or monthly membership, then it's worth keeping an eye out for discounts on annual or three-month subscriptions at retailers like Amazon and Walmart this Black Friday.
What makes Xbox Game Pass Ultimate better than Xbox Game Pass?
(Image credit: Microsoft)
If you don't need all the bells and whistles of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, or you want a more affordable subscription, then it's worth considering the normal Xbox Game Pass subscription. A regular Xbox Game Pass subscription is still great value at $9.99 / £7.99 a month and packs in Xbox Live Gold, access to first-party Xbox releases on day one, discounts and deals on the Microsoft store plus access to the every-growing Xbox Game Pass library. However, you do need to pick either console or PC and you don't get access to Cloud Gaming.
Both Xbox Game Pass subscriptions offer great value and benefit from that $1/£1 trial. It's just worth weighing up whether you want to play across multiple platforms and whether you'll make use of cloud gaming.
Apple’s new iMac purportedly set to arrive in 2022 could be called the iMac Pro, and is rumored to be a replacement for the current iMac 27-inch, switching out Intel silicon for the new M1 Pro and Max chips, and implementing the same Mini-LED screen as seen on the new MacBook Pro models.
This fresh speculation from well-known Apple leaker Dylandkt contends that the incoming all-in-one will have a 27-inch Mini-LED display with ProMotion tech (that nugget originally comes from another respected leaker Ross Young (CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants).
iMac (Pro)Promotion and Mini LedBase model 16gb Ram 512gb StorageM1 Pro and MaxDark bezelsHDMI, SD Card, Usb CSimilar design to iMac 24 and Pro Display XDRStarting price at or over 2000 dollarsEthernet on brick standardFace ID was tested (Not confirmed)1H 2022October 30, 2021
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The leak is a fairly lengthy list of further possibilities, as you can see, which includes the machine possibly having a ‘similar’ design to the existing M1-powered iMac 24-inch, and the presence of an HDMI port, plus an SD card and USB-C connectors, along with dark bezels (rather than the white bezels on the iMac 24-inch).
The base spec of the all-in-one will supposedly run with 16GB of system RAM and 512GB of storage, and the price will start from $2,000 (around £1,460, AU$2,660) or more.
Analysis: What about the name – and what about the notch?
The iMac Pro name is seemingly not a sure thing, but rather it’s what Apple has dubbed the PC for now, but that might be switched out, Dylandkt observes, because the “marketing team can change gears very quickly”. But the current thinking is calling it the iMac Pro differentiates it from the iMac 24-inch, and denotes the use of the M1 Pro SoC rather than the straight M1 on the latter.
As the leaker asserts, this is a ‘Pro’ device with a ‘Pro’ chip (and a Max alternative, for that matter, just like the new MacBook Pro versions).
Given the use of the same chips, screen and other similarities with the new MacBook Pros – maybe even the name – the question some folks are now asking, seeing as Dylandkt observes that Face ID is being tested (but isn’t confirmed), is will the purported iMac Pro have the notch? And if so, is it likely to prove as divisive as with the new MacBooks?
We may not have to wait that long to find out, as the rumored iMac 27-inch could pitch up fairly early next year. The all-in-one PC should be released in the first half of 2022, as the tweet above claims, although Ross Young further narrows that down to Q1 of 2022. Dylandkt reckons a spring event is the best bet, but this is all speculation of course, and there is the potential for a delay – chip shortages and other issues abounding – the leaker notes.
In line with Intel’s 12th generation CPU announcement, Colorful Technology Company Limited announced its new Intel Z690 Series motherboards this week. The new boards feature support for PCIe 5.0, unlocking support for the next-generation PCI Gen5 devices.
The Colorful iGame Z690 Ultra D5 will supports DDR5 memory, while the iGame Z690 Ultra supports DDR4 memory, offering build flexibility around Intel’s new CPU. The iGame Z690 Ultra D5 and iGame Z690 Ultra motherboards feature a new Ice Terrace Space 1.0 Heatsink, an enlarged heatsink solution that delivers efficient passive cooling to the PCH, along with two M.2 slots.
Colorful iGame Z690 Ultra D5 Specifications
(Image credit: Colorful)
Colorful iGame Z690 Ultra Specifications
(Image credit: Colorful)
Along with the release of the iGame Z690 Series motherboards, Colorful also revealed its new Battle-AX DDR5 Memory. It features a matte black heatspreader with red accents and is exclusively designed for the Intel 600 Series platform. The new memory modules have a starting frequency of DDR5-4800MHz and are available in 8GB and 16GB modules.
Pricing and availability have yet to be announced.
Apple has been busy pushing out new iMacs and new MacBook Pro laptops that take advantage of its own chipsets, but there are two oft-requested features that still haven't made their way to the Mac line: touchscreen displays, and support for Face ID.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (via MacRumors), Apple executives Tom Boger and John Ternus addressed the omission of both of these features on the latest hardware – and it doesn't sound as though Face ID and touchscreens will be added to the Mac line anytime soon.
When it comes to Face ID, Boger says that having Touch ID on the Mac keyboard is more convenient, because that's where your hands are already placed. We reckon Face ID would be even quicker and simpler, but that's the answer Apple is giving for now.
When it comes to touchscreens, it seems that Apple doesn't want to do anything that could affect iPad sales. The iPad is "the world's best touch computer" according to Ternus, while the Mac is "totally optimized for direct input".
So there you have it – and we're not all that surprised. Apple representatives have previously described the idea of a touchscreen Mac as "absurd", while Face ID is rumored to be a way off yet for Apple's desktops and laptops, if it ever arrives at all.
Boger and Ternus also spoke about some of the changes on the newest MacBook Pro models, including the removal of the Touch Bar – Apple is apparently "constantly listening" to customers, so it sounds as though people power is at least partly responsible for the keyboard redesign this year.
Analysis: Face ID likely, touchscreens not so much
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro launched in 2021.(Image credit: Future)
The responses given by the Apple executives in the WSJ interview make sense, up to a point. Touchscreen input is something that's available on quite a few Windows computers now, but it doesn't really make a lot of sense – at least not unless you're using a device like the Surface Pro 8 that can also do double duty as a tablet.
Apple's tablet-laptop hybrid is of course the iPad, and it's fair to direct users who want this touch input (and Apple Pencil support) to seek out the slate instead. There are plenty of them available of course, from the entry-level iPad right up to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Face ID is something that makes more sense for an iMac or a MacBook Pro though. Apple has upgraded the webcams on its latest models, and even added a display notch in the case of the MacBook Pro – a notch that makes the lack of Face ID all the more noticeable.
As we mentioned above, rumors have been swirling that Apple is planning to add Face ID to the Mac, although it's reportedly still a couple of years away. Apple knows the tech intimately from its iPhone devices, and Windows Hello has demonstrated just how quick and convenient logging in with facial recognition can be.
This year's Black Friday deals are already starting to roll in, and I'm going to be keeping a close eye out for offers on robot vacuum cleaners and mops (or ideally a multi-purpose bot that incorporates both).
The reason? Black laminate flooring. It looks great when it's clean, especially when paired with crisp white paintwork, but it shows every fleck of dust and dropped crumb. If I'm baking bread, I'll need to factor in time to vacuum and mop the kitchen afterwards, otherwise the resulting dusting of flour will make the place look like it's not been cleaned for a year.
Similarly, a stray drop of foamy toothpaste can result in a full deep-clean of the bathroom. Even errant water drops are a problem, as the hard water leaves chalky marks. It might be a small apartment, but the amount of sweeping and scrubbing it requires is ridiculous.
The iRobot Roomba Combo offers both wet and dry cleaning, making it ideal for all floor types(Image credit: iRobot)
Thankfully, this year's Black Friday Roomba deals will soon be upon us, and will hopefully include some big savings on machines like the Roomba Combo for wet and dry cleaning, or bundle deals that include both a Roomba and an iRobot Braava Jet mop so they can can scurry around in tandem while I'm at work, scrubbing away so I can come home to gleaming black floors.
My apartment could be cleaned all in one go, but if you have a larger home then a self-emptying bot like the iRobot Roomba S9+ or Roomba i7+ will be a good choice. Once full, they return to their charging base and empty their contents into an allergen-proof dust bag that only needs to be changed every few weeks.
There's a robot cleaner for pretty much every type of home, so if you find yourself spending too much of your life wielding a vacuum or a mop, Black Friday could be the perfect opportunity to reclaim that lost time.
Roomba deals available today
We're expecting the very best deals to start appearing in the week of Black Friday. Some retailers hold the biggest savings back until the day itself, but many (including lots of home good retailers) extend their sales for several weeks.
In fact, there are already some pretty impressive deals available on a range of iRobot Roomba robot vacuums and Braava robot mops, so if you spot one that will suit your home, there's no need to wait any long and risk the best deals running out of stock.
We've already heard about some owners having to wait a long time for replacement parts due to the ongoing silicon chip shortage, so once a Roomba goes out of stock, it may be quite a while before it's available again.
US deals
iRobot Roomba 670:$329.99$295 at Walmart Save $34.99 A versatile Roomba for hard floors and carpets, with a three-stage suction mechanism to remove all kinds of dirt, including tricky pet hair. This is a respectable saving, especially considering it's currently sold out at Amazon.
iRobot Braava Jet 240:$199.99$169.99 at Walmart Save $30 Walmart has the best price for this smart mopping robot, from the maker of Roomba. Perfect for hard floors, it offers wet mopping, damp sweeping, and dry sweeping, with powerful jet action for tough dirt like dried juice spills.
UK deals
iRobot Roomba Combo 111840:£349.99£279 at Amazon Save £70.99 This Roomba is capable of both vacuuming and mopping, so it's suitable for all your floors. It usually hovers around the £300 mark, so this is a respectable deal ahead of Black Friday.
iRobot Roomba S9+ and Braava Jet M6:£2,199.98£1,869.98 at iRobot Save £330 Bundle deals are a great way to save on a Roomba, and this offer direct from iRobot includes the S9+ vacuum plus the Braava Jet M6 robot mop. It's certainly not a cheap package, but it covers all your bases for both wet and dry cleaning.
Can't see an offer that appeals? We've rounded up the best deals on a wide range of other electric vacuum cleaners right here.
Always wondered what life would be like if the owl carrying your Hogwarts letter didn’t get lost while on its way to you? Well, Hogwarts Legacy is looking like it could be your chance to find out.
In development at Avalanche Software, Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world adventure that will take players into the Harry Potter universe, allowing them to explore within and beyond the castle walls of the famous magical school. While many of the locations in Hogwarts Legacy will be familiar to fans of the series, familiar faces will be few and far between. That’s because rather than delving into the timeline of the books and films, Hogwarts Legacy will take players back to the 1800s to tell its own story within the magical world.
Hogwarts Legacy was first officially revealed back in 2020 and while it was initially thought we would get to board the Hogwarts Express as soon as 2021, it’s now been confirmed that the game has been pushed to sometime in 2022. When it does launch, it’ll be playable on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
Since the announcement of Hogwarts Legacy’s delay, we’ve actually heard very little about it. Right now, it’s looking like our next-best chance to find out more about it before the end of the year could be the Game Awards in December. That’s not stopping fans from getting excited about the game, though, and there’s plenty of rumors and speculation to delve into. Keep reading to find out everything we know and suspect about Hogwarts Legacy ahead of its release.
What is it? An RPG title based on the Harry Potter franchise, set in the 1800s
When can I play it? TBC 2022
What can I play it on? PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Hogwarts Legacy release date
Magical beasts!(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
When Hogwarts Legacy first leaked, Bloomberg reported that it would come to next-gen consoles in 2021. However, the start of the new year saw an official delay to 2022, as publisher Portkey Games confirmed more time was needed to get the game in tip-top shape.
While the game was first announced at a PS5 event, it will be coming to the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One, as well as PS4 and PC. It remains unclear if the PS5 version will have any kind of timed exclusivity.
Hogwarts Legacy trailer
We only have a single trailer so far, which was shown off at Sony's September 2020 PS5 price and release date reveal. It does, though, show off some magically next-gen environments, with fantastical creatures, plenty of wand-action, and hints at a mysterious power that your avatar holds...
Hogwarts Legacy gameplay and setting
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
Hogwarts Legacy is going to be an "immersive, open-world RPG" set in the wizarding world of the 1800s - specifically Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
According to the description of the game on its official website: "Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart." Having received a late acceptance letter for Hogwarts, the player discovers that they possess the ability to possess and master Ancient Magic. "Only you can decide if you will protect this secret for the good of all, or yield to the temptation of more sinister magic," the description reads.
Hogwarts Legacy will see players creating and customizing their own characters, creating potions, mastering spell casting, upgrading their talents, making allies and battling Dark Wizards to "decide the fate of the wizarding world". Players can also expect to come across fantastic beasts and visit both new and familiar locations, such as including the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade Village.
A morality system is also rumored to play a role in the game and the official FAQ certainly indicates that players will have to make decisions as they play, stating "players will also encounter missions and scenarios that will pose difficult choices and determine what they stand for."
Hogwarts Legacy news and rumors
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
Will it make an appearance at The Game Awards? it's been a while since we've heard anything on Hogwarts Legacy, but a recent rumor suggests that the game will make an appearance at The Game Awards in December. The rumor comes via leaker Millie A on Twitter, who has previously accurately leaked that Insomniac Games was working on another Spider-Man-sized title (Wolverine) and that Bluepoint Games isn't working on Metal Gear Solid.
In response to a Twitter user asking when Hogwarts Legacy will be revealed, Millie claimed that the game will be revealed either "this month" (October) or at December's Game Awards. October has come and gone without a fresh look at Hogwarts Legacy (Sony's October State of Play would have been the best opportunity) so it looks like we'll need to set our hopes on December's Game Awards.
It's definitely worth taking this rumor with a pinch of salt, especially considering it's quite a wide net to cast and could be speculation rather than an actual leak, but a reveal at The Game Awards would make sense as we typically see the event showcasing plenty of world premieres.
Could the Dark Arts be an option? Hogwarts Legacy might decide to show the darker side of the wizarding world. In a (since deleted) tweet from Hogwarts Legacy writer DC Allen, a discussion around the game’s potential age rating opened up possibilities for the Harry Potter title to include the book series’ Dark Arts – the forbidden magic that only powerful evil wizards use.
Asked whether or not killing would be possible in the new game, the writer answered (as preserved by Comicbook.com):
“Are they not allowed to kill in 16+ games? I feel like you could fully kill bad guys in Horizon Zero Dawn, it just wasn't bloody. I don't think I can answer your question directly but in the trailer you can see there is a lot of evil occurring in the wizarding world.”
It has, of course, been confirmed that evil opponents in Hogwarts Legacy will use Dark Magic after a PlayStation Blog post from Adrian Ropp, Head of Story at Avalanche, mentioned the game would feature “dueling against a deadly dark witch.” However, Allen’s comment is the first sign we’ve had that the game could make use of more mature themes and methods of attack for the protagonist.
Certainly, there have been mentions of a "morality" system in the game which could also leave the door open for the use of the so-called “Killing Curse”, Avada Kedavra, for players that want to take a walk on the Dark side of magic.
Missing E3 2021 and Gamescom 2021 Though it's been a while since we've seen anything from Hogwarts Legacy, the game was absent from E3 2021. This was to be expected as Warner Bros told TechRadar that its E3 2021 showcase, which took place on June 13, would only feature Back 4 Blood. The Summer Game Fest Twitter account also highlighted that Warner Bros' presentation is to be solely for Back 4 Blood with no separate event and the game didn't appear in any form during the presentations of other publishers or Summer Game Fest. The game was also noticeably absent from Gamescom 2021.
The Warner. Bros Games presentation is Back 4 Blood, there is not a separate event.June 4, 2021
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You'll choose your house It looks like there won't be any kind of elaborate sorting quiz at the start of Hogwarts Legacy. In an FAQ on the game's official website, it's stated that "players can choose their house at the start of Hogwarts Legacy." There's no details on how the choice will be made or whether houses will be able to be changed at a later point in the game but the page states that more details on this will be available at a later date.
In the report, it’s said that sources “familiar with the game’s development” have revealed that the game will allow players to customize their character’s body type, voice and gender placement for school dormitories.
The sources also say that players will be allowed to choose a masculine or feminine voice, regardless of their character’s body type, and will get to choose whether they want to be a ‘witch’ or a ‘wizard’, with the latter choice placing them in the applicable dormitory and affecting they're addressed by other characters in the game.
According to Bloomberg, this inclusivity is the result of a push by some members of the game’s development team, following controversial comments made by J. K Rowling, the creator of the series.
“As a result, some members of the Hogwarts Legacy development team have fought to make the game as inclusive as possible, pushing for the character customization and even for a transgender character to be added,” the report says. “There was resistance from management at first, the people familiar with the project said, but currently the character customization is included in the game.”
Developed by Avalanche
Avalanche Software (the team behind the Disney Infinity games, NOT the Avalanche Studios behind the Mad Max and Just Cause games) is developing the game. So if you like the studio's work, you're in for a treat – and if you don't, what can we say?
JK Rowling doesn't have much involvement, apparently According to the Bloomberg report, Rowling doesn't have much involvement in the game's creation and the game's official FAQ states while the game "is inspired by J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World", the author "is not directly involved in the creation of the game."
Harry Potter Magic Awakened BBC reporter Lizo Mzimba tweeted about his knowledge of the project, revealing the mysterious RPG may be called Harry Potter Magic Awakened. He also hinted other Harry Potter titles could be on the way. We now know that the Harry Potter RPG is called Hogwarts Legacy.
If you're keen to know more about GTA 6, the next title in Rockstar's monolithic open-world crime series, you're certainly not alone. The game hasn't been officially announced yet, but that's never stopped fans hardcore and casual alike from wondering where the franchise will take them next, and when.
While excitement over a game that hasn’t been officially unveiled might seem a little premature or optimistic, Grand Theft Auto 6 isn't simply a pipe dream. It really does seem like a pretty safe bet that the game will eventually be announced.
A report from Kotaku claimed that a "new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series" was in the early stages of its development back in April 2020, leading to speculation that this could be GTA 6. However, given recent reports suggest the game could be looking at a 2024/5 release date, it's probably going to be quite some time before we learn more.
Still, with Rockstar Games and its parent company Take-Two resolutely keeping quiet on the topic of a potential Grand Theft Auto 6, there are next to no solid details out there - but there are plenty of rumors to dissect. Read on for all the biggest GTA 6 news and rumors so far.
What is GTA 6? The rumored next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series
When is GTA 6 coming out? That’s the internet’s biggest mystery (but likely not soon)
What platforms will GTA 6 release on? TBC but likely Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC
Where will GTA 6 be set? TBC, but there's plenty of rumors (scroll down for more)
GTA 6 release date: when is GTA 6 coming out?
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
So when is GTA 6 coming out? Unfortunately, the new GTA 6 hasn't even been officially announced, never mind given a release date. That means that there's not much to go on from developer Rockstar Games about Grand Theft Auto 6 at the moment, but it doesn't mean that we haven't got a rough idea of when we can expect to get our hands on the new GTA.
It seems that it's still early days for Grand Theft Auto 6, with a Kotaku report claiming that GTA 6, or at least "a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series," was in early development as of April 2020.
However, while the Kotaku report didn't give us an idea of when GTA 6 will release, publisher Take-Two Interactive's marketing budget may have given us our most solid GTA 6 release date hint. As reported by VentureBeat, Take-Two's 10-K SEC filing (which lays out financial plans for the next five years) shows that the company expects to spend $89 million on marketing between April 2023, and the end of March 2024 - that's a huge spike and, as the report points out, more than half the marketing budget expected for any other fiscal year over the next decade.
This led industry analyst Jeff Cohen to predict that this spike is because GTA 6 is expected to release within this period. In a note to investors, included in VentureBeat's report, Cohen pointed out that previous marketing budgets have predicted the releases of other big releases from Take-Two Interactive, including Red Dead Redemption 2. If this prediction is correct then we would expect to see GTA 6 release sometime between April 2023 and March 2024. Originally this spike was expected to take place in the fiscal year 2023, however, it's been pushed back to 2024. If it is GTA 6 that has caused this spike, this would suggest that a delay has occurred.
This 2024 spike almost lines up with leaker Tom Henderson's GTA 6 release date prediction. The notable leaker, who is primarily known for his (mostly) accurate leaks on Battlefield and Call of Duty, posted a video sharing a bunch of alleged GTA 6 details. In the video, Henderson predicts that GTA 6 isn't going to release until between 2024 and 2025, based on his sources.
There are a few reasons for this, according to Henderson. The biggest is that apparently, Rockstar Games has been focusing heavily on "employee wellbeing" for the past 15 to 16 months, with the developer aiming to avoid crunch culture. Rockstar reportedly doesn't want to announce the game until it's confident that it will hit its release date, with an aim to avoid any delays, but wants to do so without making employees work extremely long hours to meet a deadline.
In addition, Henderson claims that GTA 6 will only release on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Given the current PS5 and Xbox Series X shortages, Rockstar Games is apparently waiting until there is a "big enough market" for these consoles - in other words, until the majority of players can actually get their hands on them.
The third key reason Henderson gave for this predicted 2024/2025 release date is the popularity of GTA 5, claiming that Rockstar would likely not want to release GTA 6 while its predecessor is still so successful.
Henderson's prediction has since been corroborated by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, who said that Henderson's claims "matches up with what I’ve heard".
While a 2024/2025 release date for Grand Theft Auto 6 is further away than we would have hoped, it does make sense when these factors are taken into account. It's worth noting that Henderson did caveat that he is "not known for GTA 6 leaks" and that viewers should take these rumors will a grain of salt
We were hoping to hear something solid about Grand Theft Auto 6 with the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and then again at E3 2021, but currently, Rockstar seems and Grove Street Games are focusing on GTA Trilogy, as well as the expanded and enhanced version of GTA 5 coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X instead of a sequel. This could also push a release date back, especially given the expanded and enhanced GTA 5 has been delayed from 2021 to 2022.
Again, it's worth noting that GTA 6 hasn't been confirmed by Rockstar to even be in development, so we can only speculate about the release date. With all this in mind -and the tight-lipped nature of Rockstar - we probably shouldn't expect to get our hands on GTA 6 any time soon, nor do we expect an announcement for a while yet.
GTA 6 trailer: when can I watch one?
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
The thing about Rockstar Games is that it’s an incredibly secretive developer. No GTA 6 trailer is getting out of that studio unless someone seriously screws up.
Just look at what Rockstar did with both GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2. It teased an announcement a few days before dropping the first trailer for either game.
If there’s a Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer, you’ll know about it because the internet will explode – and we'll let you know too, of course. But we're not expecting one anytime soon.
It's likely we will see Rockstar following the same pattern as with previous games, publishing a teaser a few days ahead of a full announcement trailer.
GTA 6 map: where and when will GTA 6 be set?
Grand Theft Auto (Image credit: Rockstar Games)
So what about the GTA 6 map? There's a plethora of rumors floating around suggesting a variety of settings for Grand Theft Auto 6 - making it hard to nail down which we will actually see in the final game. Although there haven’t been any concrete reports as yet, every online titbit and juicy gossip morsel is pointing towards GTA 6’s map being absolutely massive. We’re even not talking city-size massive, we’re talking potentially the entirety of the United States massive.
One of the biggest Grand Theft Auto 6 setting rumors has come from YouTube channel The Know, which claimed that GTA 6 is being developed under the code name Project Americas. The reason for this code name is apparently because players will be able to fly between the US and South America in the game, though the majority of the action will take place in the former. This in combination with the source's assertion that the game will largely be set in Vice City (the Rockstar version of Miami) suggests there could be a focus on drug-running which would draw on the popularity of shows and movies like Narcos and Tom Cruise's Made in America. Particularly if Rockstar holds on to that 80s setting.
Another, now deleted, post on Reddit seemed to corroborate some of the claims in The Know Report. According to the Reddit poster behind the leak, the game, known as Project Americas, has been in production since 2015, though it was placed on ice while Red Dead Redemption 2 was the focus. The post claimed that GTA 6 could be expansive, set across multiple decades (the 1970s to 1980s) and locations (one of which is Vice City, another Liberty City and another is a fictional city based on Rio de Janeiro).
The game will apparently deal with one playable protagonist named Ricardo and play through their story as a rising drug lord with heavy inspiration from Netflix's Narcos series. The story will allegedly be told through chapters, with a heavy emphasis on the visuals of changes in time as the story progresses. While there's no estimated release date given, the post says that the plan is to release the game for the next generation only (a claim that several reports have corroborated).
While it's unlikely that the whole report is true (even the poster says that the game's pre-alpha status means things are likely to change) that's not to say some elements are impossible.
Following these rumors, since early 2020, a series of 'leaked' images have been emerging online that allegedly reveal sections of the overall GTA 6 map - and line up with the Project Americas rumor. So far there have been four map leaks in total, each appearing to show a different section of the overall map. Fans have speculated about what each section of the map may be with locations rumored including Rio De Janeiro, the Everglades and Colombia.
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
However, leaker Tom Henderson claims that, while Vice City will be coming to GTA 6 in some capacity, as the Project Americas rumor claims, that the map isn't as big as previous rumors claim.
In addition, Henderson claims that GTA 6 won't be set be in the 80s or 90s, but instead will have a modern setting. This is apparently to allow the base game to "fit" with GTA Online, with developers wanting "as much freedom as possible to release as many DLCs as possible".
Another, slightly less believable, rumor posted anonymously on Pastebin - which has since been removed (via Comic Book) - claimed that GTA 6 will allow players to travel between several big cities, including Liberty City and Vice City. The poster also claimed you start off as a small-time drug runner before joining an infamous gang and kicking it with the big dogs.
The anonymous poster also claimed GTA 6 will feature both major cities along with a vast stretch of highways and Blaine County-like countryside in the middle of it all.
While location rumors seem to be leaking in abundance, the anonymous Pastebin post was backed up by review on Glassdoor by a Rockstar Games QA tester, which has since been removed (via Dexerto). The post left a cryptic message that seen the first letter of each sentence spelling out 'GTA6LSVCLC'. This may be pointing to the potential locations of Grand Theft Auto 6: Los Santos, Vice City, and Liberty City.
Wonder what these locations would look like together as an actual map? Graphic designer RealityDesign posted a concept image on GTA Forums, showing what this map could potentially look like. Check it out below:
There was also a rumor that GTA 6 would be set in London, which started with a comment from Rockstar Games’ co-founder Dan Houser from an interview with Polygon back in September 2013:
“At the moment, it feels like GTA’s DNA is contemporary-ish, American-ish, English-speaking-ish, because that’s what it has been… But that doesn’t necessarily limit it to those, that’s just what we’ve done so far.”
However, Houser then shot down a London setting in an interview with The Guardian later that month.
Flying in the face of many of these rumors, a report by Christian Today claims that GTA 6 will have a futuristic setting. The Christian Today report also alleges that there might even be time travel involved in the next GTA title.
For what it's worth, we think this would probably plant it a bit too close to Saint's Row, which is already incredibly similar to Grand Theft Auto and this is probably something Rockstar would be keen to avoid.
For our money, we think a return to Vice City in some form is on the cards, which would tie into the rumors mentioned above. But, outside of that, where exactly GTA 6 will be set still remains a mystery for now.
GTA 6 news and rumors: what do we know so far?
Grand Theft Auto (Image credit: Rockstar Games)
Below we've collected all of the latest leaks and rumors that hint at when GTA 6 might be launched – and what we can expect from the new game. As always, take these details with a huge pinch of salt – some are old, some are from now-deleted sources and others might just be keen fans getting carried away.
Did Snoop Dogg just leak GTA 6 rumors about Dr Dre?
Snoop Dogg might have just become an unlikely source of GTA 6 news. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Snoop Dogg revealed that Dre Dre is back in the studio, apparently recording new music for an undisclosed Grand Theft Auto game.
“I do know he’s making great f*cking music,“ Snoop told Rolling Stone, when asked what Dre was up to. ”And some of his music is connected to the GTA game that’s coming out. So I think that that will be the way that his music will be released, through the GTA video game.”
Of course, there’s no guarantee this is GTA 6. There are actually quite a few Grand Theft Auto games on the horizon (in case you haven't noticed) with a full remastering of Grand Theft Auto 5 on PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles and the upcoming Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition remasters. Dr Dre’s music previously featured in 2004’s San Andreas so there’s a small chance this could be related to that Definitive Edition remaster. Or maybe it really is our first hint at what’s going to feature on the soundtrack of GTA 6.
Job listing details next-gen VFX
A job listing on the official Rockstar site suggests that the developer is looking to raise the bar when it comes to next-gen visuals in its games. The listing for a VFX Artist based at Rockstar New England is looking for someone to “help to bring extra life to the environment, characters, weapons, vehicles, and more.” This involves, “using ambient effects for things like insects around the player and rain dripping off buildings up to large scale destruction events like skyscrapers crashing to the ground.”
“Our technology is used to tie the world together” the listing continues, “weapons create bullet impacts, vehicles kick up dirt and smoke and leave debris when they crash, objects get dirty when they fall in mud.“ It specifically asks that the candidate be prepared to “Develop assets optimized for current and next-generation consoles.”
Of course, this listing doesn’t actually specifically mention that the VFX artist will in any way be working on GTA 6. That said, if Rockstar is looking at next-gen details like this on any of its other projects, we’d be amazed if GTA 6 didn’t get similar treatment.
GTA Trilogy remaster
There’s been another GTA announcement and once again it isn’t GTA 6. This time, Rockstar has confirmed that a GTA Trilogy remaster is on the way on November 11 digitally, as well as a physical release following on December 7, comprising HD remasters of Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
GTA 5 Enhanced Edition delayed
Rockstar’s GTA 5 Enhanced Edition has been delayed to March 2022. The announcement was made during the PlayStation Showcase 2021 and means the game won’t hit its original release date of November 11, 2021. A reason for the delay hasn’t been given but fans are concerned that this delay could mean that GTA 6 is even further off than we could have ever imagined.
GTA 6 is already rumored to be released no earlier than 2024/2025, and it's logical to think that GTA 5's delay will only push it back. We can only hope that's not the case.
Instagram sparks another Vice City rumor Vice City setting rumors are picking up once again after a recent Instagram post made by a Rockstar employee. The post (via GamesRadar) was made by soundtrack manager and music supervisor Tony Mesones. Mesones has worked at Rockstar for around a decade and has provided music for a range of titles including GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2. His Instagram post shows Miami's South Beach and is captioned “who said it would be cold???”
As many have pointed out, this could simply be eager fans reading far too much into a holiday photo, though others have noted that Mesones tagged Rockstar Games in the post suggesting it could be a work-related trip.
Mesones’ post isn’t really proof of anything, though Miami does line up with previous reports that the game will visit Vice City in some capacity, the Grand Theft Auto located heavily influenced by Miami. Given reports that the game could have a rough release window of 2025, we’ll likely be waiting quite a long time before we find out if this is just a holiday snap or something more.
Vice City map and activities 'leak' - not likely Rumors all point to Vice City playing a role in GTA 6 in some capacity, but a leak claims to show a glimpse of the Vice City map along with some of the activities players can partake in including bowling.
The video shows a shakey look at a screen allegedly showing the map and is likely to be fake, with notable leaker Tom Henderson even stating that he "wouldn't expect any leaks like this for a couple of years".
2025 release date looking likely GTA 6 is likely to launch during 2025, according to multiple sources. Tom Henderson was the first to suggest that a 2025 release date was on the cards, and his claims have been corroborated by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, who said that "Everything Tom Henderson has said about the game matches up with that I've heard" on Twitter, adding that the game is "still in early development".
Multiple playable characters, an evolving GTA Online map and more Notable leaker Tom Henderson, who is primarily known for his (mostly) accurate leaks on Battlefield and Call of Duty, recently posted a video sharing a bunch of alleged GTA 6 details.
In addition to a 2024/2025 release date prediction and claims of a modern setting, Henderson also shared some other alleged details on GTA 6 that he has picked up from his sources.
The leaker claims that GTA 6 will take the same approach to GTA 5 and feature "multiple playable characters", including one female character who is set to be the "bright one", with a focus on technology and hacking.
But it's not just GTA 6 that Henderson shared details on. The leaker claims that GTA Online, accompanying GTA 6's release, will feature an evolving map that could change each time new GTA 6 DLC is released. Henderson compared this map to that of Fortnite's and also claimed that GTA 6's release will see additions made to the "default" GTA Online map, including new areas and an expansion to the map.
It's worth noting that Henderson did caveat that he is "not known for GTA 6 leaks" and that viewers should take these rumors will a grain of salt, as his sources may be "less reliable" than those of his Call of Duty and Battlefield leaks.
An in-game reveal? Though GTA 6 wasn’t unveiled during E3 2021, a recent job listing has fuelled existing rumors that it will be revealed during a GTA Online event, an approach games like Call of Duty have had success with in the past.
Building on previous rumors that Rockstar would use GTA Online updates to market GTA 6, this recent Rockstar job listing (via GameRant) for a Live Operations Coordinator shows that the developer looking for someone to “be responsible for executing all in-game marketing campaigns for Red Dead Online and Grand Theft Auto Online. This is a full-time, permanent position based in our Soho, Manhattan studio.”
This should, of course, be taken with a pinch of salt as neither Rockstar nor Take-Two have said anything about any plans to reveal GTA 6 in the GTA Online world and having a Live Operations Coordinator is no guarantee of this happening.
GTA 6 could reward you in cryptocurrency instead of cash Tom Henderson, a well-known Call of Duty and Battlefield leaker, claimed on Twitter that he's recently heard that some of GTA 6's missions will reward players in in-game payments of bitcoin rather than cash.
According to Henderson, bitcoin wouldn't replace cash as in-game currency, but instead would sit alongside it. Henderson claims that the stock market will make a return in GTA 6, with the addition of a broker for different cryptocurrencies.
These bitcoin payments apparently be rewarded for every mission but instead will be rewarded by more high-profile characters who want to move high amounts of "untraceable cash and fast".
This in-game currency will apparently not be called bitcoin, but will still be a form of cryptocurrency.
I heard recently that in GTA 6, some missions will reward you in bitcoin instead of cash for completing some missions. The stock market feature will return, with the addition of a broker for different cryptocurrencies. If GTA 6 incorporates this right, it's huge for crypto.June 3, 2021
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GTA 6 Florida and Cuba setting rumor has been debunked Another major GTA 6 rumor has been debunked. The rumor originally appeared on a post on The Medium, by a poster called Tim McDowell who wrote a 'deep dive' on the (proven to be accurate) rumors around Red Dead Redemption 2. The piece also included images from 4Chan with apparently 'leaked' details about GTA 6. These details claimed the game would be set in Cuba and Florida, and echoed leaker Tom Henderson's claims the next GTA will have a female protagonist.
But, after a suspicious fan (ADropInTheOcean) on the GTA forums did some digging, they found that the post was full of false information and the images had been photoshopped. Essentially, the whole article has been a troll. Seemingly realizing they had been found out, McDowell has since updated The Medium article to a meme.
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
Speculation addressed by Take-Two Interactive Unfortunately, Rockstar Games' parent company, Take-Two Interactive, is remaining tight-lipped about the prospect of GTA 6 and when we could get our hands on it.
When asked by an eager investor about GTA, during the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference last week (via Comic Book), Take-Two's CEO, Strauss Zelnick reiterated that GTA 6 hasn't been confirmed and that he wouldn't be the one to spill the beans on it.
"Right, so, Rockstar hasn’t announced any new titles for the market and when there’s an announcement to be made it’ll come from Rockstar, so I’ll probably leave you there and I don’t think you would have expected anything else,” Zelnick responded.
It's not exactly what we wanted to hear, but it does mean that we can expect Rockstar Games to make its own GTA 6 announcement when the time comes - rather than the game being announced to investors during one of these meetings.
Take-Two CEO commits to single-player experiences Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two, has said that Rockstar Games will continue to make single-player games, which is likely to be welcome news to those hoping that GTA 6 will offer a single-player experience despite the success of GTA Online.
In a Q3 2021 earnings call (via GameSpot), Zelnick said, “The folks at Rockstar Games intended to create a powerful single-player experience a story-driven experience. And Rockstar has always been known for great stories and great single-player experiences and then developed in addition, a massive multiplayer opportunity over the past years”, adding that Rockstar’s success with both single and multiplayer games is proof that it can have both rather than just one.
This lines up with a 2020 GQ interview with Rockstar’s Tarek Hamad and Scott Butchard. When asked if Rockstar will continue to tell single-player stories even as Online continues, Hamad replied “Absolutely” and Butchard intimated that it could even become more a part of the Online experience, saying “I think you can see that with Online and I think going forward we’re going to inject more of that single-player element in there.”
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
Job listing pointing to a possible trailer?
It seems unlikely There has been some excitement in the GTA 6 community after a job posting for a “Cinematic Gameplay Capture Artist” was spotted at Rockstar (via ScreenRant). The description of the role notes that the person would be responsible for shooting the in-game footage that's used for putting together digital and TV advertising campaigns, which has led some to wonder if a GTA 6 trailer could be on the horizon.
With this one, we think it’s probably best to lower expectations. Given there’s a GTA 5 port coming to the latest generation of consoles, it seems more likely that this job will have something to do with the marketing campaign around that launch later this year rather than anything to do with the still-technically-unannounced GTA 6.
New patent suggests smarter NPCs A new patent filed by Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two could point to GTA 6 having improved AI for its NPCs. The patent attempts to trademark a “system and method for virtual navigation in a gaming environment“ and was filed by the publisher in October 2020.
The main focus of the patent is on the ways NPCs move around and react to environments, with a particular emphasis on driving NPCs, highlighting that the conventional systems only have “limited resources” when it comes to automating NPCs. The tech in the patent would make it possible to create “a realistic virtual world that is not limited by hardware or software limitations.”
It might, for example, see NPCs have different driver profiles for more realistic and natural behavior, meaning speed limits could be dynamically adhered to, and non-moving objects, such as street lights or car crashes, could be recognized and responded to accordingly. Driving NPCs might also dynamically react to things like traffic jams or high-speed chases and find another route around the game map.
The patent also takes into consideration more general driving skills, like a better understanding of vehicle handling when moving at top speed, and braking times, for an overall more realistic on-the-road experience.
Of course, it should be noted that the patent was filed by Take-Two and therefore isn’t necessarily about GTA 6 - it could be about any of the publisher’s games. However, one promising sign that it relates to the GTA franchise is that the system’s inventors are David Hynd and Simon Parr who work at Rockstar in the roles of associate director of technology and lead AI programmer.
As with any patent, there's no guarantee that it'll be applied in a final product, but it does seem likely that this system was created with Grand Theft Auto 6, or at least Grand Theft Auto Online, in mind.
Former insider reality check Those who are hoping to get their hands on Grand Theft Auto 6 sometime soon may be disappointed by a recent tweet from former Rockstar insider Yan2295. Dismissing rumors that the game might be coming soon, they tweeted to say that while the game “is being developed”, it’s “not coming soon”. Nor do they have any idea when it will be announced or released. Even though we should always take statements that don’t come from Rockstar itself with a pinch of salt, this one does at least seem fairly realistic, if extremely vague, as it doesn’t certainly doesn't look like Grand Theft Auto 6 is going to be coming anytime soon.
Yes GTA 6 is being developped. No it's not coming soon. No I don't know when it's gonna be announced or released. You can stop asking now.January 2, 2021
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GTA Online update has fans looking for clues A recent teaser posted by Rockstar for the new GTA Online update has kicked up some GTA 6 rumors.
In the teaser, fans spotted a set of GPS coordinates which, when entered into Google Maps, lead to a dirt road in Virginia. This might seem like nothing but some fans think that the road is shaped like the Roman numeral for 6, “VI”, and is, therefore, a direct reference to Grand Theft Auto 6 by Rockstar. It seems like a stretch and Rockstar hasn't said anything either way, but it’s a clear sign that fans are hungry for GTA 6 news.
When I searched this location on Map , it showed a place in North America and the roads direction were in the shape of VI ..... #GTAVI #GTA6 #GTAOnline pic.twitter.com/5rlyW8RFo1November 20, 2020
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GTA 6 and Vice City Online domains updated It doesn't take much for GTA 6 rumors to take off so Take-Two Interactive renewing a couple of relevant domain names will certainly do it. A user of Reddit (via GamesRadar) pointed out in August 2020 that the publishing parent of Rockstar renewed its ownership of the domain names gtavicecityonline and gtavi.
It's worth bearing in mind that companies often claim domain names related to their products even when they have no intention of ever using them, so we shouldn't take this too much to heart. We won't know anything for sure until Rockstar starts making some official announcements.
GTA 5 Online's continued success won't necessarily stop GTA 6 GTA 5 Online has been a huge success for a while now and naturally, this has left some wondering if that success could hold up any potential GTA 6 release. According to GamesIndustry.biz, in May 2020 Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick was asked in an interview at the Bernstein Annual Strategic Decisions Conference if the publisher would "think twice" about launching a new game when the live service game is still performing well.
Zelnick could not be persuaded to comment on release plans for a game that hasn't been announced. However, he did touch on a time Take-Two has faced a similar dilemma with NBA 2K Online.
According to Zelnick, Take-Two had NBA 2K Online in China and it was performing well but when it came time to update the game and they released NBA 2K Online 2 "it turned out to be a massive hit". Take-Two found that "the audience was still stable and growing for NBA 2K Online itself, the first title. So we kept them both up and they're both up to this day.“
According to GamesIndustry.biz, Zelnick went on to say “Any time you look at a business and you take the position, 'This is great, it's the gift that keeps on giving. I'm just going to stick with it and I'm not going to worry about innovating because everyone loves what we have,' you are just moments away from being destroyed by your competitors," adding “I am not remotely worried about being in a position that we have a great line of live services and a new release and that there's somehow maybe some internal competition. That to me is the definition of a high-class problem.”
Although Zelnick was not commenting on GTA 6 directly, his comments do suggest that GTA 5 Online's success wouldn't necessarily stop Take-Two moving forward with a new instalment in the series.
The next step for GTA could be VR GTA in VR? It could be on the cards if a posting on LinkedIn from an Australian development studio is anything to go by. In the post, Video Games Deluxe shared that it's "now gearing up for a new project, a AAA open-world title in VR for Rockstar. 2020 marks our 7th year of working exclusively for Rockstar in Sydney and we are excited to taking on this groundbreaking project."
The studio has history with Rockstar, having worked on the VR adaption of L.A. Noire for PC and PSVR so this doesn't seem unlikely.
The question is what game will be getting the VR treatment. We can say right away we don't think it's likely that GTA 6 will be coming out of the gates in VR. An older title seems more likely and GTA 5 is the lead contender.
The game seems to be perpetually popular and an expanded and enhanced version has already been confirmed for PS5, which could mean PSVR 2 involvement.
The good news for GTA 6 hopefuls is that this project is with an entirely different studio so if GTA 6 is in development, this VR project isn't likely to derail anything.
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
GTA 5 enhanced edition GTA 5 is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X in November 2021, Sony has announced. The game will be enhanced and expanded, and feature a range of visual upgrades and improvements to performance that will take full advantage of the next-gen beefy hardware.
GTA Online will also continue, with additional content that’s exclusive to Sony’s new console. A standalone version of GTA Online will also be made available for free, exclusively for PlayStation 5 players during the first three months.
While this is welcome news for GTA 5 fans, it suggests we probably won't see GTA 6 release until at least after mid-2021 and makes those reports of a 2023 or 2024 release seem more likely.
GTA 6 release date might have been discovered - and it's bad news As reported by VentureBeat, Take-Two's 10-K SEC filing (which lays out financial plans for the next five years) shows that the company expects to spend $89 million on marketing between April 2023, and the end of March 2024 - that's a huge spike and, as the report points out, more than half the marketing budget expected for any other fiscal year over the next decade.
This has led industry analyst Jeff Cohen to predict that this spike is because GTA 6 is expected to release within this period.
In a note to investors, included in VentureBeat's report, Cohen pointed out that previous marketing budgets have predicted the releases of other big releases from Take-Two Interactive, including Red Dead Redemption 2.
"We are not sure how much we should be reading into this shift, but we would note that this disclosure accurately predicted the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2 prior to that game’s announcement," the note reads. "Management has spoken very confidently about the pipeline over the next five years and existing live services execution has been excellent. However, the timing of the next Grand Theft Auto remains top-of-mind for investors, particularly with the stock near all-time highs."
If this prediction is correct then we would expect to see GTA 6 release sometime between April 2023 and March 2024. Originally this spike was expected to take place in the fiscal year 2023, however, it's been pushed back to 2024. If it is GTA 6 that has caused this spike, this would suggest that a delay has incurred - potentially due to Covid-19.
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
Take-Two Interactive has 93 games in the works Grand Theft Auto publisher, Take-Two Interactive, has revealed it has 93 "full game releases" planned for the next five years – and we're hoping GTA 6 is one of them.
During an earnings call (via GamesRadar), Take-Two president Karl Slatoff said that this line-up is the strongest in the company's history, but what can we expect? Well, according to Slatoff, 63 of these games are "core gaming experiences", 17 will be "mid-core or arcade" and 13 are casual games.
However, out of these 93 games, 21 will be exclusively mobile titles - with the other 72 landing on PC, consoles and streaming platforms. But, perhaps the most interesting stat from this meeting is that half of this games line-up is from existing IPs. Suggesting we could be seeing GTA 6 in that five-year window, with the highly-anticipated next GTA falling into that "core gaming experiences" category.
"This is a larger pipeline than we've had before, we've been talking about this for quite some time. Our expectation is that we'd like to keep up this velocity," Slatoff said. "It's really important for us to build scale, and this is one way that we're doing it. We need more at-bats."
CEO Strauss Zelnick explained that the publisher plans to smooth out its financial results with "a handful or greater of new significant releases every year". And it looks like the company believes it may have some big successes in the pipeline.
"With our strong catalogue, with our live service offerings, and with our annual releases, we can have great strength, even in a light year, even though it's not our goal to have a light year, and then do even better in the year when we're able to launch a number of titles, which is our strategy, and even better than that if we're fortunate enough to have a blockbuster title. And we have some of those as well," Zelnick said.
Story reportedly finished The story for Rockstar’s GTA 6 is apparently finished if a supposed insider is to be believed.
Chris ‘Liberty93’ from Rockstar Mag (a French fansite) claims the story for Grand Theft Auto 6 was wrapped up prior to the departure of Rockstar’s head writer, Dan Houser, and that the next GTA entry will still have the “soul” of a typical Rockstar game.
Although a finished story might suggest a release date for GTA 6 is close, Chris did point out that many changes were made to Red Dead Redemption 2’s story during development, despite it being 'completed' way back in 2012.
“They still made changes in late 2017, early 2018, and many little details were modified," Chris explained.
Reports of early development It seems that Grand Theft Auto 6 is in the early stages of its development if a report from Kotaku is anything to go by (as of 2020). In the report which is primarily following up on the cultural changes that have taken place at Rockstar after a previous investigation into crunch at the studio, Kotaku has touched on the studio's future, including the fact that studio management has outlined a plan for "a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series".
The report goes on to say that this new installment is planned to be a "moderately sized release" (so, probably still pretty big) which will be "expanded with regular updates over time". The hope is that this approach will lessen stress and crunch.
It's worth noting, though, that the report emphasizes that the game is still in the very early development stages so plans could quite easily change over time as the development process evolves.
Grand Theft Auto (Image credit: Rockstar Games)
Take-Two plays down AAA releases In an earnings call for Take-Two Interactive – the publisher that owns GTA developer Rockstar – shareholders were told to expect the "most robust pipeline" in the company's history. However, Take-Two CEO Strauss H. Zelnick also stressed that some years would be thin on releases – which, given the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018, doesn't make us hopeful for any new GTA titles in the coming year.
"Given that we're a company that depends on our creative teams to make as close to perfect products as possible," said Zelnick, "we have to be willing to live with the vagaries of product deliveries. And that means, sometimes, we will have thin frontline years."
Dan Houser leaves Rockstar Revealed in a statement by Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive, Houser (who was has been on an extended leave period since spring 2019) will be officially leaving the company on March 11. His brother Sam Houser remains present as president.
Houser, who has variously acted as writer, producer and voice actor at Rockstar, led Rockstar Games to become one of the biggest developers in the industry. It's currently unknown whether this will have an impact on GTA 6's development.
CJ voice actor dismisses rumors Chris Bellard, the voice actor for GTA San Andreas' character CJ, has debunked rumors that he will be reprising his role in GTA 6. Using Instagram, Bellard posted that he's "not involved in GTA VI at all".
This doesn't rule out the return of CJ as a character entirely (Rockstar could always cast someone else in the role) but it does confirm that Bellard isn't involved and doesn't intend to be if asked.
Rockstar hasn't commented on rumors and we won't know anything certain about the cast for GTA 6 until it speaks out.
Grand Theft Auto (Image credit: Rockstar Games)(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
Scouting areas in Florida Speculation around a Florida setting – even a game that encompassed the whole state – has been brimming after a leaked letter was given legitimacy by a well-regarded Rockstar leaker, @Yan2295.
The letter was to a Florida store asking permission for Rockstar Games to inspect the premises, presumably for use or inspiration in the forthcoming game – mentioning a location scout Leah Sokolowsky who hinted at a large digital media client in a podcast back in May 2019 (via Daily Star).
Take inspiration from Red Dead Redemption 2 The same leak posted on Pastebin, that claimed GTA 6 will allow players to travel between several big cities, including Liberty City and Vice City, also claimed GTA 6 will take inspiration from Red Dead Redemption 2 and won't release on current-gen consoles.
The post claims Rockstar is waiting to see how the new consoles sell as GTA 6 wouldn't be able to be released on the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One due to memory restrictions. In addition, the post claims that the game will be set in a timed era and that there will be flashbacks between missions and Red Dead Redemption 2-type stranger dialogues that implement the greet/antagonize format.
GTA 6 is coming and there are ideas What we do know about GTA 6 is that ideas are being thrown around for development, even if it’s just in the early stages. Rockstar President Leslie Benzies teased the game in an interview back in 2013 with Develop magazine.
“We don’t know what GTA 6 will be, but we’ve got some ideas,” said Benzies in the interview.
Okay, so it’s not much, but it’s certainly a snippet of solid information direct from the source. Benzies went on to talk about what kind of ideas get the creative juices flowing over at Rockstar.
“We’ve got about 45 years’ worth of ideas we want to do,” he added. “We’ll pick the right ones," Benzies said. “It comes from the idea first. Where it is going to be set is the first question. That then defines the missions; you’re doing different things in LA than in New York or Miami. The map and story get worked up together, and the story is a basic flow of how it works out so you can layer the mission in.”
We’re just pleased that Rockstar has so many ideas for what it wants to do with GTA 6. We just hope it sorts them into some kind of organized system and gets that game to us sharpish.
GTA 6 could be the last GTA game This is more informed speculation from Tom Henderson than anything concrete. But we've included a lot of his predictions and leaks in this guide, so felt it was only right to flag his latest theory recently published on Dualshockers: GTA6 could be the last GTA title.
He acknowledges it would be a shame for such a huge franchise to end but suggests that, with GTA Online's huge popularity and a continuously evolving map, there might not be a reason for Rockstar Games to ever follow up GTA6.
"Rockstar seems to be making GTA 6 the most epic future-proof video game in history, with constant updates that not only give the fans new content but keeps the world new and interesting by evolving," he writes.
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