Microsoft has claimed 'GTA 6' is slated for release in 2024.
In the firm's recent response to the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) amid its ongoing investigation into its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft highlighted Rockstar Games' next instalment in the 'Grand Theft Auto' franchise as a potential huge-hitter, while also claiming it will be out in 2024.
Microsoft said: "The highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to be released in 2024."
However, it's worth noting that its source is a TechRadar article with credits to a Bloomberg report, which claimed: "Current and former Rockstar staff reckon 'GTA 6' is still at least two years away from release, suggesting a 2024 launch."
This comes after the ‘Grand Theft Auto’ publisher insisted a massive leak of early footage from the game’s next sequel will not impact its development.
Dozens of videos showing robberies, shoot-outs, and open-world driving were posted to an online message board in September in one of the gaming industry’s biggest cybersecurity breaches.
Addressing the hack during publisher Take-Two’s second-quarter earnings call, chief executive Strauss Zelnick said: “With regards to the leak, it was terribly unfortunate, and we take those sorts of incidents very seriously indeed.
“There’s no evidence that any material assets were taken, which is a good thing, and certainly the leak won’t have any influence on development or anything of the sort.
“But it is terribly disappointing, and it causes us to be ever more vigilant on matters relating to cybersecurity.”
Developer Rockstar had released a statement blaming a “network intrusion” for the hack, in which it said, “an unauthorised third party illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information from our systems."
It added it was “extremely disappointed” to have details of the next 'GTA' instalment shared with fans “in this way” after almost 10 years of speculation about its contents.
The footage appeared to confirm previous reports 'GTA 6' will be set in Vice City, a fictional version of Miami seen in previous games.