Inside GTA 6's development: key takeaways from Bloomberg's report

Five weeks before launch, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier — the reporter behind many of the most reliable GTA VI scoops — published a long feature on how Rockstar made the game. Here are the key takeaways, without spoilers.

A studio that nearly doubled

According to the report, Rockstar grew from 2,441 to 4,711 employees spread across 12 offices during GTA VI's development. That makes it one of the largest teams ever assembled for a single game, and it helps explain the long timeline from the 2023 reveal to the 2026 release.

From “Project Americas” to Leonida

Bloomberg reports that the game started life as “Project Americas”, a much larger concept that was later scaled down. The version releasing on November 19 focuses on the state of Leonida — six regions built around Vice City. (Our Leonida map and characters guide covers everything officially revealed.)

The budget question

Big numbers have circulated for years. Rockstar denies that GTA VI cost more than $1.5 billion; Schreier's reporting suggests the budget is above $1 billion. There is no official figure.

Crunch

Rockstar told Bloomberg that crunch — long periods of mandatory overtime — was reduced but not eliminated during development. Labor has been a sensitive topic: separately, an employment tribunal in Glasgow has been hearing claims from 34 former employees, 31 of them union members, who say they were dismissed over union activity. Rockstar denies it, and no ruling had been issued as of October 15.

What it means for the release date

The most reassuring line for players: according to the report, November 19, 2026 appears to be the real date. That matches everything official so far — see the GTA 6 release date guide.