Why is it taking so long again?

“Here we go again.”

When Grand Theft Auto 6 went live on Thursday, the famous quote from the series perfectly captured the emotions of many fans of the video game.

Release, Anger, Déjà Vu.

This is the second time that Rockstar games has told players that they will have to wait a little longer for what is likely to be one of the biggest entertainment releases ever.

The essentially perfectionist developer has a history of pushing blockbusters until it’s happy with them, so the news isn’t a complete surprise.

But it got millions asking what took so long, and why.

Rockstar games officially confirmed that it is working on GTA 6 in February 2022 and an initial trailer, which was released almost 18 months later, says that it will come out in 2025.

It also revealed that the game will have two protagonists – couple Jason and Lucia – and will take place in Leonida, a real US state based on Florida.

Rockstar later announced the game was pushed back, giving an exact date of 26 May 2026.

This blew fans away, especially when some found out that it was the date of Bonnie and Clyde’s funeral.

The famous lovers of Outlaw are thought to have given motivation to the characters of GTA 6, and the time seems to pass perfectly.

But in the end, it is. The game received another delay and a new release date of 19 November 2026.

Even grand theft auto cannot escape from the factors that affect any company that makes a modern blockbuster video game.

Development is becoming more expensive, more complex, and the gap between major releases is widening.

But there are some challenges unique to rockstar.

The first is the hype.

Both of GTA 6’s trailers have broken records for views on YouTube, and it always tops the lists of the most anticipated games by the public.

Strauss Zelnick, the boss of Rockstar Parent who takes – two interactive, said that every new release from the developer should wow player.

Rockstar is known for breaking new ground with its games, and its last big release, Western Adventure Red Reduction 2 (RDR 2), helped cement that reputation.

It is widely considered a benchmark for open-world video games due to its depth and obsessive attention to detail, even coming out in 2018.

Studio’s impressive track record is attributed to its famously high standards which, in turn, create high expectations for its games.

Continuing the rep that something Rockstar appears serious – both RDR 2 and 2013’s GTA 5 took a long time.

And when Mr. Zelnick wrote about the recent delay in GTA 6 at a meeting with investors this week, he told them that those working on the game “seek perfection”.

Another unique factor in Rockstar’s case is the continued success of its existing library.

GTA 5 is the second best-selling game of all time, and continues to rack up sales 13 years after its release.

It sold 730,000 copies in the UK alone last year, according to Entertainment Entertainment Marketingwhile RDR 2 sold 350,000 copies during the same period.

That puts both games in the top ten for video game sales.

And then there’s GTA Online, the brutal multiplayer mode that continues to rank among the world’s most played games every month.

It is credited with bringing in a large chunk of the $8.9bn (£6.7bn) the series has reportedly made since the release of GTA 5.

The sequel is expected to be one of the most expensive video games of all time, but Rockstar is still going strong from its older titles.

However, both say that this week has seen an expected drop in GTA online numbers.

Experts previously told BBC Newsbeat That the real success of GTA 6 will be measured by how it manages to attract current players to its own online mode.

As far as GTA is concerned, there are no guarantees.

Rockstar has previously been accused of forcing employees to “crunch”, or mandatory time, to hit release dates and deadlines.

The practice, used by other major game developers, has been widely criticized for keeping workers away from their families and driving them to exhaustion.

Rockstar said at the time that no one was forced to work overtime but it was always a sight Methods to improve the way it works.

Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, who published in-depth reports on the development of RDR 2, said there seen as a “real desire” from studio management to avoid GTA 6 crunch.

Last week, 30 employees covered by Rockstar accused it of trying to prevent them from merging.

The company denied this and accused the workers of committing a serious act by sharing confidential information – something that the IWGB union of the IWGB workers rejected.

It is inevitable that the sacks are directly related to the recent delay, but the absence of experienced personnel may have an impact on the development of the game.

Now, most fans seem happy to wait a little longer for what many expect to be the “game of the century”.

Whether their patience pays off, or goes to waste, is in the hands of the rockstar.

Listen to Newsbeat ALIVE at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back HERE.