Bloomberg Reveals How GTA 6 Was Made

On October 14, Jason Schreier published an extensive Bloomberg report on the development of Grand Theft Auto VI. The journalist visited Rockstar North in Edinburgh and spoke with studio executives, who explained the reasons behind two delays, discussed the budget, and admitted that non-playable characters became the project's biggest challenge.The biggest surprise was the budget. Rockstar dismissed the long-running rumor that development had cost more than $1.5 billion, although it still refused to reveal the actual figure. Schreier believes it could nevertheless be the most expensive game ever made. Development has lasted more than eight years, while Rockstar's workforce has grown from 2,441 employees to 4,711 across 12 offices.According to Bloomberg, NPCs were the reason behind the two delays. When executives saw estimates for the number of characters, lines of dialogue, and animations the game would need, they realized their existing resources simply weren't enough. To solve the problem, Rockstar opened a dedicated studio in Los Angeles, where writers, producers, and directors worked exclusively on NPCs.The report also revealed some interesting production details. Originally, the project, codenamed Project Americas, was supposed to span parts of North and South America. Rockstar eventually scaled it back to the single state of Leonida because developing GTA 6 and Red Dead Redemption 2 at the same time proved impossible.Another section focuses on Jason and Lucia's relationship. The couple will be able to stroll through parks, go to the gym, and even rob stores together, all while talking and flirting. Without the ability to spend time together outside missions, the story of a criminal duo simply wouldn't have worked.

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After the leaks, Rockstar required employees to work from the office five days a week and cut off remote access to development tools, a decision that hit workers with children particularly hard. Another leak in August 2026 raised internal questions about how effective that policy really was. At the same time, Schreier, who has spoken to dozens of Rockstar employees over the years, notes that most view the changes to scheduling and overtime compensation positively, even if it's too early to declare the crunch problem solved.Schreier himself is cautious about making guarantees. In his view, you can never be certain of a release date in the games industry until the game is actually running on your device.