Circana analyst Mat Piscatella says many games moved out of November over GTA 6 fear, while Zelda and WoW benefit, GamesRadar+ reports.
Sources gamesradar.com
Games that fled November because of GTA VI may have moved for nothing, says Mat Piscatella, games lead at Circana, in an interview published by GamesRadar+. He was talking about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (remake) and World of Warcraft: Forever, both out this month.
Piscatella expects GTA VI to lead the holiday rush and lift spending across the industry. He thinks many publishers moved out of fear: "people are probably just scared of potentially running into this game". A cozy sim or a shooter, he argues, had no obvious reason to shift. "Everyone just kind of moved and perhaps they didn't need to," he sums up.
GamesRadar+ notes that the Ocarina of Time remake, due November 8, and World of Warcraft: Forever, November 4, enjoy a clear month. Piscatella points out that WoW is on PC, where GTA VI is not announced, and that the Switch 2 audience is not the PlayStation or Xbox crowd. The overlap is still notable: per Circana's tracking, about 15% of people planning to buy GTA VI also plan to buy the Zelda remake.
It adds to the record purchase intent Circana already measured. Piscatella also describes two games aimed at mature, nostalgic audiences, which explains the overlap.
Read also GTA 6 pre-orders pass $750 million, Sensor Tower estimates
Nothing changes for the November 19 date, which Rockstar set. But the analysis puts the GTA VI effect on the calendar in perspective: an empty November, moved releases and rivals suddenly playing alone. Actual sales will show who was right. Our key dates are on the Release page.
Sources gamesradar.com
Reported Reported by the press, not confirmed by Rockstar
By Daniel Jasner · GTAVIFRANCE newsroom
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