GTA 6 LIVE: XBOX boss blasts report on PlayStation pre-orders

XBOX boss blasts report on GTA 6 PlayStation pre-orders

XBOX chief strategy officer Matthew Ball has blasted a report which says "Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders are heavily skewed toward PS5".

The Verge's Tom Warren penned a report on XBOX's recent round of layoffs, saying the recent cuts "leave big questions over the future of Game Pass and the XBOX platform".

The report said: "Sources at XBOX tell me that Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders are heavily skewed toward PS5, ringing yet more alarm bells about the platform."

But Ball blasted this on X / Twitter.

In reply to a post on the platform from Warren, Ball said: "Tom, we are very happy with GTA 6 pre-orders.

"The title is breaking records for XBOX, we expect even more records will be broken throughout the Fall, and our internal analysis shows our share of pre-orders to be matching our share of the console market."

In reply, Warren asked: "What's your share of the console market?"

Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson also commented: "I thought it would be a given that you're matching your console market share with your pre-order share, so it makes perfect sense why pre-orders are heavily skewed to the competition, but that doesn't necessarily mean sources (developers) aren't concerned, given everything going on.

"But it's good to know, at a high level, that you're happy with the GTA 6 pre-orders."

And on BlueSky, Circana's Mat Piscatella added: "Given what the XBOX share of the console market is, not sure I'd be gushing about anything related to a relative split but that's just me."

Huge new GTA 6 Vice City collection officially revealed

A GTA 6 Vice City collection has been officially revealed by Rockstar Games and is now available to pre-order.

It's inspired by a fictional TV show called Macca the Gator from the fictional state of Leonida, based on real world Florida, and the collection includes:

• Macca the Gator Figure
• Oakley Frogskins Sunglasses
• Leonida Keys Crossbody Bag
• New Era 9FORTY Snapback Hat
• Macca the Gator Magnetic Mirror
• Chunkee the Manatee Shot Glass
• Vice City Collectible Swizzle Spoon
• Vice City Razor Blade Keychain
• Leonida Keys Enamel Pin Set in Metal Tin
• Leonida Keys Sticker Pack in Stash Bag
• Double-Sided Souvenir Poster with Map of Leonida

The collection does not include a copy of GTA 6. It's priced at quite a steep £349.99 / $399.99.

Rockstar Games post

Rockstar Games has posted an update for GTA Online which has got social media users scratching their heads about the 'leaked' merch drop.

The update said: "Keep your Nightclub on everyone's Snapmatic feed this week with 2x Popularity for completing Nightclub Management Missions in GTA Online.

"Plus, get a free Elysian Island Nightclub, 2x GTA$ and RP on Nightclub Goods Missions and more."

Some accounts are surprised Rockstar has not yet confirmed details of the expected merch drop.

Huge new GTA 6 merch drop including collector's edition 'imminent'

A huge new merch drop is 'imminent' according to claims being made online.

GTAVice.net first found "evidence" of new GTA 6 and Rockstar Games merch. Specific details of each item were then posted online by Razed Mods on the NeoGAF forum and are doing the rounds on social media.

Claims include loads of different t-shirts, caps, hats and other merch including tote bags - and a potential listing for "Grand Theft Auto VI: The Goodtime State - Vice City Collection".

This may be a collector's box for GTA 6 but may not actually contain the game itself, a bit like what happened with Red Dead Redemption 2.

It's understood there are 22 different items in total but 55 SKUs (stock-keeping units a unique code assigned by a business to a specific product to track inventory internally) were discovered.

It's claimed this has come from a datamine on Xsolla, a third-party platform used to power Rockstar's store.

Rockstar's store has a number of blank sections too which initially sparked speculation about behind-the-scenes updates and a potential merch drop.

None of this has been officially confirmed by Rockstar Games.

Physical GTA 6 cases 'spotted' in stores

There have been a number of different posts on social media which appear to show physical GTA 6 boxes being 'spotted' in stores.

GTA 6 will not release on physical discs but boxes will still be sold in certain retailers which contain a code to download the game.

And it seems the pre-order version of those cases have started going on display in some stores.

Pictures posted online appear to show the artwork for the game on the front along with art of Jason and Lucia on the back cover with text summarising what to expect from the game's story and pre-order details.

Vice City sign up on Kaseya Center roof

The 'Welcome to Vice City' sign has finally been installed on the roof of the Kaseya Center.

It's to promote GTA 6 and it features the 'VI' part of the official GTA 6 logo in the bottom corner.

Major Rockstar Games update ahead of GTA 6 release

Rockstar Games has shared a major update for PC gamers and its modding community ahead of the release of GTA 6.

A PC version of GTA 6 is likely but not expected to release for a while. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick recently said during an annual shareholders meeting "the PC platform is becoming more and more important".

Rockstar shared new modding guidelines which outline what is and isn't allowed across its Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption series.

The guidelines have four main areas, which are "respect our games", "do not infringe Rockstar Games or third-party IP", "do not harm the creator community" and "do not engage in unauthorised or abusive monetisation".

One key area said: "Do not expand or modify Rockstar Games' official storylines, plots, missions, characters or other elements of our established continuity.

Another said: "Do not make mods that combine maps, locations, characters, storylines, in-game assets or other IP from one Rockstar Games title into another title."

So it seems appropriate mods will be welcomed in GTA 6 on PC if it releases - as long as they don't break these guidelines.

To be clear, GTA 6 on PC has not been officially confirmed at the time of writing.