Today marks two years since Russian aggression against Ukraine escalated into an active phase, sparking the largest war in Europe in the last 80 years. However, its impacts are felt far beyond its borders, including in virtual worlds like Grand Theft Auto.
In March 2022, Take-Two became one of the gaming giants to follow the sanction policy against the Russian and Belarusian markets. Players from these countries were denied the opportunity to purchase Rockstar games. The developers also stopped updating their regional YouTube channel—the last video was published two weeks before the full-scale invasion. Other similar channels (examples: Spain, Brazil) are consistently maintained. However, new content for GTA Online and site content continue to be translated into Russian. Whether this is still being handled by “SoftKlab” is unknown. The subsidiary of 1C has disappeared into radio silence since that fateful day.
But this and the clear reference by “Rockstars” to the military actions in Ukraine might not be the limit. The ban on the sale of video games is still in place, and considering the scheduled next year release date of GTA 6, it can be suspected that officially purchasing the much-anticipated game won’t be possible in neighboring countries. Of course, there are always ways around this, but will the vast majority take advantage? Those who decide to simply pirate “six” will miss out on the next incarnation of “Online,” which will undoubtedly become the foundation of Grand Theft Auto for many years ahead. This raises a reasonable question among our editorial team:
Would it be beneficial for the copyright owner to delay GTA 6, hoping for the war to end soon and sanctions to be lifted?
In such a case, T2 wouldn’t lose a huge market it had started actively working with relatively recently. On the other hand, more than 10 years have passed since the release of the previous installment, and the authors have clearly approached the final stage of development. A tentative release date has been announced, the first showcase has taken place, and further delays may cause not only dissatisfaction but also financial losses related to falling stock prices. Which would be cheaper: losing a large market or dealing with investor issues? It seems more likely that the creators will try to silently delay the release of the sixth part, aiming for the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026.
The question of translation remains open. Will Russian, which many game developers implement as the primary language for the post-Soviet space, remain supported, or is it no longer needed? If not, then Take-Two will need to look for localizers not based in Russia or Belarus. Meanwhile, more companies are now turning to our studios that specialize in video game adaptation. There might not be a better moment to officially enter Ukraine. But for now, it’s hard to believe that Ukrainian language will appear in GTA 6. However, we can expect a significant reference or direct mention of our beautiful country and the absence of the tricolor.
Source: gta.com.ua