If your only metric is “long dev cycles bad”, then yeah this looks bad because you’re comparing games stuck in development hell to a game that has demonstrably had like 8 years of real dev time. Additionally, it’s not like Rockstar have put out stinkers in the past. every GTA game I’ve ever played has been a fun single player experience. I can’t imagine R* nuking the billions they’ve spent developing their game and the goodwill they’ve gathered in the past. Are there going to be scammy bullshit things in the game? Sure. It’s literally impossible for them to raise money from investors if they don’t put it in there. But if it’s another game “only” just as good as GTA v, it will sell incredibly well and be worth the up front money.
If your only metric is “long dev cycles bad”, then yeah this looks bad because you’re comparing games stuck in development hell to a game that has demonstrably had like 8 years of real dev time. Additionally, it’s not like Rockstar have put out stinkers in the past. every GTA game I’ve ever played has been a fun single player experience. I can’t imagine R* nuking the billions they’ve spent developing their game and the goodwill they’ve gathered in the past. Are there going to be scammy bullshit things in the game? Sure. It’s literally impossible for them to raise money from investors if they don’t put it in there. But if it’s another game “only” just as good as GTA v, it will sell incredibly well and be worth the up front money.