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GTA 6 Release Approaches, Marking 13 Years of Gaming Industry Change
ReGTA 6 Release Approaches, Marking 13 Years of Gaming Industry Change
As Grand Theft Auto 6 nears its November 19 release, a look back at the major gaming stories since GTA 5 launched in 2013, from Fortnite's rise to E3's demise and Microsoft's acquisition of Call of Duty.
The long-awaited release of Grand Theft Auto 6 is finally on the horizon, with the game set to arrive on November 19. The launch marks the end of a 13-year wait that began when GTA 5 hit shelves in September 2013. In the years since, the gaming landscape has transformed dramatically, with new genres, business models, and industry giants reshaping the medium.
When GTA 5 first launched, Fortnite did not exist, the live-service boom had not yet begun, and E3 was still the industry's premier annual event. Nintendo had just released the ill-fated Wii U, and Microsoft was holding its major exclusives tightly to the Xbox platform. The gaming world has since seen the rise of battle royale games, the explosion of live-service titles, and the decline of traditional trade shows, all while players waited for the next installment in Rockstar's flagship series.
One of the most notable developments has been the proliferation of Skyrim ports. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, originally released in 2011, has been ported to nearly every platform imaginable, including Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and various VR systems. There is even a text-adventure version, dubbed Skyrim Very Special Edition, available for Amazon Alexa devices, allowing players to explore the game while cooking dinner.
Ubisoft's Watch Dogs series also emerged in the wake of GTA 5, offering an open-world experience with a hacking twist. The original Watch Dogs launched shortly after GTA 5, followed by the critically acclaimed Watch Dogs 2 set in San Francisco, and the London-based Watch Dogs Legion in 2020. Despite the success of Watch Dogs 2, the series has been quiet for years, leaving fans hoping for a true sequel.
Perhaps the most surprising shift has been the arrival of Halo on PlayStation. During the Xbox 360 era, Halo was a flagship exclusive for Microsoft, with titles like Halo 3 and Halo Reach available only on Xbox. But in a major policy change, Microsoft released Halo: Campaign Evolved simultaneously on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5. The move reflects a broader industry trend toward multi-platform releases, though new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has hinted at a possible return to exclusives.
GTA 5 itself has seen multiple re-releases, expanding from its initial Xbox 360 and PS3 launch to PC, Xbox One, PS4, and eventually Xbox Series X|S and PS5. The game's longevity has been remarkable, with GTA Online continuing to generate revenue for Rockstar. While GTA 5 has never appeared on Nintendo Switch, the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy is available on the platform, leaving the door open for future ports.
The Call of Duty franchise has also undergone significant changes since 2013. Activision has released 13 mainline Call of Duty games, with a 14th, Modern Warfare 4, arriving in late October. The series expanded into mobile gaming with Call of Duty: Mobile in 2019 and the battle royale hit Warzone in 2020, though the mobile version of Warzone shut down in 2026. The franchise changed hands entirely when Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard, bringing Call of Duty under the Xbox umbrella.
In the business world, EA saw a leadership change that coincided with GTA 5's launch. Andrew Wilson was named CEO of EA just days after GTA 5's release, and under his leadership, the company's stock price soared from around $25 to over $200. In August 2026, Wilson and his team agreed to sell EA to a group of investors led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund for $55 billion.
The most symbolic loss of the era was E3, the annual trade show that once dominated the gaming calendar. After opening to the public in 2017, the event was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, held virtually in 2021, and canceled entirely in 2022. The show's decline marked the end of an era, as publishers increasingly turned to their own digital showcases and direct-to-consumer events.
As GTA 6 finally prepares to launch, the gaming industry looks vastly different from the one that welcomed GTA 5. The live-service model has matured, cloud gaming is on the rise, and platform exclusivity is no longer the norm. The release of GTA 6 is not just a milestone for Rockstar, but a marker of how far the industry has come in over a decade.
