Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto VI Leak Should Make Xbox Fans Very Happy
While it's inevitable that Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) is heading our way, reported tax breaks for Rockstar brings good news for Xbox owners.
The Grand Theft Auto franchise is a multi-billion cash cow for developer Rockstar Games. | Source: Reuters/Mike Blake
- Rockstar Games tax release suggests that Grand Theft Auto 6 is in development.
- Rockstar is using tax breaks to fund development of the game.
- The use of tax breaks suggests that Rockstar doesn’t need exclusive deals with PlayStation.
A new Tax Watch UK report into Rockstar Games’ finances reveals just how much money the developer has been getting from tax breaks. In 2019, the company claimed £37.6m in Video Games Tax Relief (VGTR). The report said that this claim is likely to help fund the development of Grand Theft Auto 6.
Developers are able to claim for VGTR before a game has been released. It’s telling too, that GTA V cost $265 million to develop.
A notable takeaway from the report reads:
The huge claims being put in by Rockstar are likely related to the production costs of GTA VI.
If the tax breaks are to fund the development of GTA 6, Xbox fans should be very happy. Rockstar’s use of tax relief may mean that it doesn’t need any more money from exclusivity deals.
There had been rumors that GTA 6 would be a PS5 exclusive and that it would be available at launch. However, this tax relief suggests that Sony isn’t paying for exclusivity for GTA 6 or any of its DLC.
This isn’t the only thing that suggests that Xbox fans will be able to enjoy all of GTA 6. When Microsoft added GTA 5 to Xbox Game Pass, it also seemed unlikely that GTA 6 wouldn’t be available on the Xbox Series X during launch.
Rockstar hasn’t officially announced GTA 6. However, if it is spending millions on developing it, it could be planning a big reveal.