New Zelda and GTA represent a games industry that no longer exists
News Source
β’2026-11-01T08:00:00-05:00
π° What Happened
GTA VI and a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time both launch in November. They are the two biggest games of 2026 and they arrive only weeks apart.
Analyst firm Circana thinks 29 percent of US gamers plan to buy GTA VI. Almost every other big game moved its date to get out of the way. Nintendo is the exception.
The Verge's Andrew Webster argues the pair are a mirage. The rest of the industry is in bad shape, with layoffs, studio closures and rising hardware prices.
π The Backstory
GTA V came out in 2013 and has sold about 230 million copies. Rockstar has been building open worlds since GTA III. Ocarina of Time was the first 3D Zelda, and it set the pattern for many 3D games after it.
2026 has been brutal. Xbox is cutting thousands of jobs, Epic cut over 1,000, and EA shut down BioWare last week. A live-action Zelda film is due in 2027.
π― Why It Matters
Two huge games can hide a shrinking industry. If studios keep closing, the games you love may take longer to make, cost more, or never arrive at all.
GTA VI and a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time both launch in November. They are the two biggest games of 2026 and they arrive only weeks apart.
Analyst firm Circana thinks 29 percent of US gamers plan to buy GTA VI. Almost every other big game moved its date to get out of the way. Nintendo is the exception.
The Verge's Andrew Webster argues the pair are a mirage. The rest of the industry is in bad shape, with layoffs, studio closures and rising hardware prices.
GTA V came out in 2013 and has sold about 230 million copies. Rockstar has been building open worlds since GTA III. Ocarina of Time was the first 3D Zelda, and it set the pattern for many 3D games after it.
2026 has been brutal. Xbox is cutting thousands of jobs, Epic cut over 1,000, and EA shut down BioWare last week. A live-action Zelda film is due in 2027.
Two huge games can hide a shrinking industry. If studios keep closing, the games you love may take longer to make, cost more, or never arrive at all.