Sucker Punch Celebrates GTA VI Delay While Ghost of Yotei Prepares for Launch

When Rockstar Games announced that Grand Theft Auto VI would be delayed from 2025 to 2026, many fans were understandably frustrated. Players had been eagerly waiting for what is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious open-world games ever created, and the prospect of waiting an extra year felt like a letdown.

But while gamers were groaning, the mood inside many development studios across the world was quite the opposite – for some, it was cause for celebration.

One of those studios was Sucker Punch Productions, the team behind Ghost of Yotei. In a recent interview with MinnMax, Sucker Punch creative director Nate Fox admitted that the news came as a huge relief. When asked if the studio popped champagne the moment GTA VI’s delay was announced, Fox joked, “We’re all still hungover. Multi-month hangover. That was a great day,” smiling as he recalled the moment. His words underline a reality of modern game launches: no developer wants to release their project within weeks of Rockstar’s juggernaut franchise, a series that tends to dominate sales charts and media attention for months, if not years.

The delay means that Ghost of Yotei, which has already gone gold, can now step into the spotlight when it launches on October 2, 2025. Originally, its release window would have overlapped dangerously close to GTA VI, potentially burying it in the avalanche of hype and coverage. Now, with an open runway, Sucker Punch’s ambitious samurai-inspired epic has a chance to shine on its own terms. For PlayStation fans hungry for something cinematic, stylish, and story-driven, the timing couldn’t be better.

Of course, this reprieve is temporary. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has doubled down on his confidence that GTA VI will arrive in 2026 without further delays, meaning that any studios aiming for spring or summer 2026 releases will face the impossible task of competing head-on. For now, though, Sucker Punch and other developers have gained a rare breather. Whether or not Ghost of Yotei can live up to the pressure of being the big fall release remains to be seen, but at least it won’t be crushed under the shadow of Rockstar’s titan.