Grand Theft Auto 6 is one of Rockstar’s most eagerly awaited releases. Its development took the longest of the series because of GTA 5’s online gameplay’s ongoing popularity.
While GTA 6 will undoubtedly usher in a new era for the series, several elements from its predecessor will probably stick around.
GTA Online has maintained its long-term success due mainly to the microtransactions it introduced to the genre in Shark Card packs of virtual currency.
Including this type of microtransaction in GTA 6’s online mode will undoubtedly help it retain its record revenues despite the contentious nature of the practice.
Unsurprisingly, a game’s microtransaction sales have evolved into one of the predominant sources of income for many companies in the industry, given the contemporary gaming scene, which is replete with free-to-play titles, season passes, and skins.
Due to the Shark Cards, which brought in hundreds of millions of dollars for Rockstar’s publisher, Take-Two Interactive, GTA Online has been tapped into the market for years.
Given that GTA Online is still supported with updates to this day, it is highly improbable that Take-Two would forgo this significant source of revenue for the upcoming game.
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Red Dead Online’s Gold Bars and GTA 6’s Online Monetization
The online aspect of Red Dead Redemption 2 would have its in-game purchases, continuing the tradition established by GTA Online for years.
The GTA Shark Cards are comparable to Red Dead Online’s Gold Bars in terms of how the systems have been modified throughout the years while maintaining their core functionality.
Take-Two is likelier to want Rockstar to focus on monetizing GTA 6’s online mode because GTA Online continues to garner more attention than Red Dead Online.
Even long-term player microtransaction purchases are undoubtedly intended to be relied upon to sustain the game for years beyond its initial release.
When GTA 6 launches, it’s still unclear if it will feature an online multiplayer mode, which the series hasn’t seen since GTA 4 in 2008.
In contrast to its predecessor, GTA Online’s successor would allow the online component to define the game from the start if it launched alongside GTA 6’s regular single-player story.
Players of GTA 5 had to wait after the single-player content launch for the online mode to be released in an update, which was only fully developed over time with future patches.
The Controversy Surrounding GTA’s In-Game Purchases
If GTA 6 were prioritized online, it would further solidify the franchise’s link with in-game revenue and ongoing updates. This strategy has proven to be both contentious and wildly successful.
Longtime GTA Online players have endured several updates from Rockstar that have made the game the dominant force in the current industry, but this hasn’t always been met with praise.
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Players have criticized GTA Online’s imbalance and price rises since the game’s numerous new upgrades have created a wealth of expensive in-game items essential to life in Los Santos.
The massive success of GTA Online and its record-breaking earnings nearly ensure that its primary form of revenue generation will be used again in the sequel.
The now-famous GTA 6 leaks claim that Rockstar is working on the whole game, with only the single-player mode known to exist. The popularity of GTA 5’s groundbreaking online element significantly increased the game’s duration.
Thus, the sequel is undoubtedly expected to have a similar longevity, if not longer. It’s almost a given that GTA Online will return with its infamous Shark Cards, but it’s unclear how far the online component of GTA 6 will push microtransactions.