At least 58 video games are scheduled to launch on November 19, the same day as GTA 6, and they are all indie titles. While major publishers have avoided the date to steer clear of the most anticipated game in years, smaller studios see it as an opportunity rather than a threat.
According to Steam’s release schedule, 57 of these games are coming to PC, with the highest-profile being The Binding Of Isaac: Repentance + Online, an updated re-release of the roguelike that was previously PC-only and is now arriving on consoles.
Why indie studios embrace the GTA 6 launch date
Most of the other titles are likely unfamiliar to players and appear to be PC-only. The ones generating the most interest on Steam, based on follower counts, are fantasy action role-player Lord Of Undead (3,193 follows) and anime deckbuilder Witch The Showdown (1,492 follows), which launches in early access. Both have public demos, allowing players to sample them before committing.
These studios are targeting entirely different demographics from GTA 6 and are releasing on a platform Rockstar is skipping for now. Even if they chose another day, the GTA 6 crowd would probably never touch them anyway.
Devolver and Fairy Mount explain their strategy
Devolver Digital has made a point of releasing Volvy’s Adventure: Reslimed on the same day as GTA 6, even after the latter was delayed twice. The 2D platformer jokingly bills itself as ‘a spectacular remaster of the original remake of the unreleased action platformer starring the most famous video game mascot of all time.’ It costs less than £5, compared to GTA 6’s £69.99 price tag.
Devolver’s marketing manager Robbie Patterson said GTA 6’s lack of a PC release is enough of a gap in the market, ‘even if GTA will be gobbling up all of the available bandwidth from a PR perspective.’ He added: ‘It’s also an opportunity for us to have some fun with the idea that our plucky mascot is the only thing with enough clout to go up against the biggest video game launch in over a decade.’
Fairy Mount Games, launching its debut title Flame, Forest & Flood on the same day, argues its game offers everything GTA 6 doesn’t and carries fewer risks. CEO Blazej Zywiczynski said: ‘If the reported budget of $2 billion for GTA is true, they will have to sell over 28.5 million copies at $100 a pop in order to break even. For Flame, Forest & Flood, that number is well below 10,000 copies at a much lower price. Even if every single owner of a current-gen console bought GTA 6, their ROI will barely reach 5x. Flame, Forest & Flood gets there with around 30k copies sold.’
