valve veteran thinks rockstar has a mess on its hands with gta online to gta 6 online

Saw a GamesRadar piece quoting some Valve veteran and it's the kind of thing I've been chewing on for a while. The guy basically asked if Rockstar is just going to kill GTA 5. And that's the real question, isn't it?

GTA Online has been running for over a decade now. People have sunk thousands of hours into it. Bought shark cards, grinded businesses, built up garages full of cars they actually care about. You can't just tell those players to pack up and move to a new game like it's a normal sequel. It's not a single player save file. It's a live service with real money and real time invested.

The mess the Valve guy is talking about is pretty obvious. If Rockstar launches GTA 6 Online and keeps GTA Online running, you split the community. Some people stay on the old game because their crew is there or they don't want to start over. Others jump to the new thing immediately. Rockstar ends up supporting two online games at once, which is expensive and messy. If they shut down GTA Online, a huge chunk of players are going to be furious. All that money and progress, gone. That's a PR nightmare waiting to happen.

I don't think there's a clean answer. Rockstar probably knows this. They've been quiet about GTA 6 multiplayer for a reason. Maybe they're trying to figure out how to handle the transition without alienating either group. Or maybe they'll do some kind of carryover system, like a one time transfer of certain items or cash. But that opens up a whole other can of worms with the economy.

What do you all think? Do you see Rockstar keeping GTA Online alive after GTA 6 Online launches, or will they force everyone over eventually?

Source: GamesRadar+ · Curated content.

ok so this is exactly why neither trailer has breathed a word about online, they're sitting on the answer because there isn't a clean one yet!