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Forbes
22-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Will Grand Theft Auto VI's Delay Impact The Games Industry?
Rockstar Games It was the news that video gamers around the world were dreading: Grand Theft Auto VI was being delayed. The long-awaited sequel was due to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in the Fall of 2025, but earlier this month, Rockstar Games announced that its crime epic will now launch on May 26 next year. 'With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception' Rockstar said in its statement. It added that it needed 'extra time to deliver at the level and quality you expect and deserve'. Grand Theft Auto VI follows on from GTA V which has become one of the best-selling games of all time since it was released in 2013. It's sold more than 200 million copies, but this sixth instalment is set to dramatically surpass its predecessor and have a wider impact on the entertainment industry. Within its first year, GTA VI is projected to earn $3 billion. A billion of that will come from pre-orders alone, according to research from DFC Intelligence, as reported in the Financial Times last year. However, the delay means that the games industry will miss out on $2.7 billion in revenue, according to a report by Ampere Analysis, a data and analytics company based in London. It is believed that the loss will come from a downturn in console sales. GTA VI's release is predicted to act as a catalyst for many casual gamers to upgrade their hardware by purchasing current generation systems, like a PlayStation 5, but now many may wait until next year. Chris Hewish, chief strategy officer at Xsolla, a financial technology company in Los Angeles says that GTA VI's Fall release would have actually truncated its impact on the games industry in 2025 anyway. 'The projection is a big number, but the industry is much larger than that. The delay creates a lot of opportunities for other developers to move into that [Fall] Ampere forecasts that the games industry will still grow by one percent this year, despite GTA VI's move. For the first time, gaming will generate just over $200 billion ($201.3, precisely) while Rockstar's game will trigger a growth of 2.2 percent in 2026. 'The demand from people to play games hasn't diminished just because Grand Theft Auto has moved to next year' Hewish explains. 'We may see more people acquire a Switch 2 now instead and buy more games on that platform than they would have otherwise' he says. Nintendo Nintendo's new console, the Switch 2, is going to be released on June 5 and it will sell 15 million units within its first year, according to Nintendo's president, Shuntaro Furukawa. Hewish believes that the games industry will feel the impact of GTA VI's delay the most in 2026. He explains that some publishers may now try to move the release date of their game forward from next year to the Fall of 2025 to capitalise on the space left behind by Rockstar. 'This will have an impact on the developers , especially if launch dates are moved into this year. Now [developers] may have to crunch throughout the summer. That may be the untold story here; the impact on the teams themselves' he says. The delay has not dampened the world's appetite for GTA VI, however. After announcing the new release date, Rockstar revealed its second trailer for the game. Within days, it had been viewed over 475 million times across various platforms across the internet. As it stands, it's been watched 113 million times on YouTube alone.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nintendo Switch 2 is arguably "the most important product launch in video game history," analysts say, who reckon it will have sold 100 million in its first 5 years
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Market research firm DFC Intelligence believes that the Nintendo Switch 2 will not only be the fastest-selling console ever but that it is "arguably the most important product launch in video game history," it says in a new advisory report. DFC Intelligence, alongside a lot of us, expected both the Nintendo Switch 2 and GTA 6 to be the injection of life gaming needed after the surge of layoffs and closures across the industry, but now that GTA has been delayed until May 26, 2026, the ball is in Nintendo's court. The firm calls the Switch 2 "the key driver of industry growth for 2025," with it expecting 16 million consoles sold over the next year (although the analysts reckon it could sell up to 20 million if supply and demand are kept up). However, even with that stellar first-year prediction, the firm also thinks that things will not slow down and has high expectations of Nintendo's new system. "The Switch 2, along with the growth of mobile PC game devices, is redefining the landscape of the video game industry." it says, adding, "DFC forecasts that by the end of 2029, the Switch 2 will have sold over 100 million units, making it the leading console system by a wide margin." The Nintendo Switch hit the 100 million mark back in 2022, so this could potentially put the Switch 2 on track to hit that number a year earlier than its predecessor if this comes to pass. If the 100 million claim wasn't bold enough, DFC also reckons that "the next few years could see Nintendo for the first time becoming the primary partner for third-party game publishers." Given that we've seen the likes of Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Elden Ring announced for the platform , it's definitely a possibility, but it will likely come down to if the Switch 2 is powerful enough to handle the rapid advancement of game tech. If you're keeping up with all the latest Nintendo Switch 2 news, be sure to check out our roundup of upcoming Switch 2 games, too.
Forbes
15-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Nintendo Switch 2 Will Become The ‘Fastest-Selling Console Ever'
The Nintendo Switch 2 is poised to become the world's fastest selling console of all time. I finally secured a Nintendo Switch 2 today — my first console pre-order since the Xbox Series X — because it feels like a sound investment. Greater confidence in the system may help it set a new record too: the Switch 2 has been projected to become the fastest-selling video game console of all time. In its second advisory issued today (May 15), just three weeks before the hardware's global launch on June 5, leading gaming market analyst DFC Intelligence forecasts that 16 million Switch 2 units will be sold in 2025 alone. This increase from DFC's previous projection of 15 million units in April has been attributed to growing confidence in Nintendo's supply chain, which had previously faced concerns relating to ongoing tariffs. Nintendo could sell even more if it wanted to, but DFC believes the company will remain true to past form. While demand could support up to 20 million sales in the first year, Nintendo will stay characteristically cautious with inventory management, as it has been with previous console launch strategies. The internal sales target at Nintendo is more conservative yet still confident, forecasting 15 million units sold through the end of March 2026. When the original Switch launched in 2017, Nintendo initially projected 10 million units for the fiscal year but ultimately sold 15 million; it outsold the GameCube within 18 months of launch. Looking further ahead, DFC believes the Switch 2 will shift 100 million units by the end of 2029, making it the dominant console platform in the next hardware cycle. It's no surprise, especially for an Xbox primary like me; even if the rumored Xbox 'Project Kennan' handheld proves to be a five-star experience, it won't prevent Nintendo from maintaining its position as the leader in the handheld-console hybrid market and becoming an even more central player in the gaming ecosystem, especially if Microsoft decides against creating a direct successor to the X/S. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder David Cole, the founder and CEO of DFC Intelligence, says: 'With the portable nature of the Switch platform, Nintendo has expanded the audience for console game systems. The Switch 2 represents a further evolution because major third-party publishers will be on board from the start. 'Nintendo is directly going after the PlayStation and Xbox audience, and it will likely be some time before Sony and Microsoft can respond.' In DFC's eyes, the Switch 2 is a source of positivity in a gaming market that faces an uncertain next 12 months. On a global scale, overall console sales are projected to grow by 3% in 2025, driven solely by Nintendo's next system. Much of this relates to the delayed release of Grand Theft Auto VI, now pushed back to May 2026. DFC indicates that this dampens industry expectations for the year. However, the Switch 2 presents a bright spot, mitigating the impact of GTA VI's delay, as it will decrease hardware and software sales for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2025. Rockstar's postponement is particularly disappointing for the Christmas season, a time when society traditionally purchases the latest Mature-rated games for underaged family members. The delay of 'Grand Theft Auto VI' to 2026 has had a negative effect on the industry's fortunes, but ... More the Switch 2 is taking the edge off. GTA 6's delay may, however, primarily impact the North American market. DFC anticipates a 2% drop in console software revenue on the continent in 2025, while Europe is expected to remain flat over the year. Japan will see a significant 25% surge in console software revenue, fueled by Switch 2 excitement and its competitive pricing in the region. If you're still trying to secure your own Switch 2, good luck; until today, my experience of online pre-orders have been the digital equivalent of those fight-based dust clouds you see in Andy Capp cartoons.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's the date that the Nintendo Switch 2 gets its first round of pre-order invites in the US and Canada on the My Nintendo Store
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Update: This article has been updated to reflect that the following information has been the case since April 2. We apologize for the error. Original copy: While it remains to be seen what - if anything - might happen with the Switch 2 price in the US, Nintendo fans should still be able to express interest in Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders soon. Nintendo's official guide page on how to buy the Switch 2 says, "The first batch of invitations will go out starting May 8, 2025," and "additional batches of invitation emails sent periodically until purchasing on My Nintendo Store is opened to everyone." The invitation requirement previously outlined by Nintendo remains unchanged from other regions, including a Nintendo Switch Online membership of at least 12 months and a minimum of 50 in-game hours total, as of April 2, 2025. There's no word on whether the previously unveiled $450 price tag is staying the same, but it's possible it won't change. Analyst David Cole, founder of games industry marketing and research firm DFC Intelligence, speculates that Nintendo will "stick with the $450 price" despite tariff concerns, believing the number "was reached with the threat of tariffs already looming." Other experts seem to agree, too. Bernstein analyst Robin Zhu is one such person, with expectations of Nintendo maintaining its original price for the Switch 2 if the new 10% levy on most US imports stays the same, saying that "Nintendo probably keeps pricing at $450 and just takes the hit on margin." There's no telling what the price will be until those hotly anticipated pre-orders finally go live in May, though – but I'll certainly be keeping my fingers crossed. Here are some of the most exciting upcoming Switch 2 games to look forward to.
Forbes
08-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Analysts Predict Potential, Eventual $530 Switch 2 Price After Tariffs
Switch 2 Nintendo Everyone has been attempting to guess what's going to happen to the price of the newly announced Nintendo Switch 2 as a result of Donald Trump's massive global tariffs, including significant ones on Japan and Nintendo manufacturing partners Vietnam and Cambodia. Now the experts are starting to chime in. Top analyst firm DFC Intelligence has issued its first Switch 2 report in the wake of its pricing, and while it's mostly positive about the console's prospects, the tariffs are the less-than-good-news part of it. While DFC says it believes the $450 price is still a good value, and it was less than the $500 they predicted before the pre-tariff global economic conditions, the tariffs now complicate things. They believe it will lower the overall sales of the Switch 2. Because of pricing concerns, their estimates for 2025 are now 15 million, down from 17 million. Those pricing concerns? They say it's possible there could be a 20% increase in the price of the Switch 2 over the next two years if these tariffs are maintained. That would put it at $530 in the US. Of course, there is easily the possibility, if not likelihood, PlayStation, Xbox and PC gaming prices could go up for the same tariff-based reasons. DFC says they will continue evolving their forecasts as things change on the ground. Switch 2 Nintendo That's the problem, there are so many unknowns, as the current, fluctuation tariff situation is impossibly hard to predict in terms of what happens next. The tariffs could go away tomorrow, stay the same, or increase as a trade war escalation. Here's what DFC says: 'The lower forecast are directly related to supply and pricing. With tariffs and uncertain pricing Nintendo may choose to scale back its manufacturing. If prices increase substantially due to tariffs, a significant portion of prospective buyers are likely to hold back on a purchase until prices come down. This situation is changing and will be closely monitored as DFC regularly updates its forecast throughout the year.' Despite all this, the overall conclusion is the somewhat predictable one that the Switch 2 is likely to be a huge hit, even if sales forecasts are lowered, and it may be the fastest-selling console ever. The first Switch is the third best-selling video game system of all time, and will likely be the second-best soon enough. It's not clear if the Switch 2 will reach those highs, but it's certainly possible. But a big price jump? That could easily throw a blue shell down the track. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Bluesky Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
