Grand Theft Auto V Might Arrive This Year But It Won't Help the Industry

The state of the gaming industry this year isn't that great, as lackluster software sales have made a couple of analysts predict that not even a blockbuster release, like that of Grand Theft Auto V, for example, might improve the situation.

GTA V has been awaited for quite some time and, like always, the developers at Rockstar Games are taking their time and polishing it to perfection ahead of its release, probably later this year or in early 2012.

Quite a few analysts have tried predicting possible launch dates for the open world game, some saying that it's going to be released this October, while others believe early 2013 is a safer bet.

Even so, analysts Colin Sebastian and Jesse Divnich agree that no matter the time of release, GTA V's massive sales won't help the gaming industry.

"I am not confident that it will be out this year, and even if it did, we would still likely see a modest decline in console software sales," Sebastian told VentureBeat. "Given the current momentum of the market, I doubt any major releases, even one of GTA V's size, would push the physical markets back into the positives."

His thoughts are echoed by Divnich who believes that the state of the gaming industry and its software sales can't be changed anytime soon.

"Given the current momentum of the market, I doubt any major releases, even one of GTA V's size, would push the physical markets back into the positives," he said. "The traditional gaming sector is under an enormous amount of downward pressure at the moment, and it will require a strong catalyst to shift that momentum."

GTA V, given the huge popularity of the franchise, is bound to sell very well and break a few records whenever it's actually released. Sadly, it seems that it might not be the savior the gaming industry needs this late into the console cycle.


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