Ex-Call of Duty Boss Believes GTA 6 Will Be "Real Trouble" For Warzone

Call of Duty: Warzone could struggle to keep players once Grand Theft Auto 6 releases, according to Greg Reisdorf. The former Call of Duty boss predicts some more mature free-to-play games, such as War zonemay have real trouble trying to compete with the online component for Grand Theft Auto 6.

After a couple of delays, Rockstar's upcoming game is scheduled to launch on November 19, 2026. Barring more delays, GTA 6s release date means that late 2026 will be an exciting time for many players. Since its initial announcement, the game has been one of the most anticipated titles in the gaming industry. For example, both of the game's trailers have received millions of views and are among the most viewed of all time. GTA 6 even won Most Anticipated Game at The Game Awards 2025.

GTA 6 could pull players away from Warzone and other free-to-play games

During an interview with esportsbets, Greg Reisdorf, former creative director of multiplayer at Sledgehammer Games, weighed in on the effects GTA 6 may have on the industry when it is released. Specifically the former Call of Duty the boss talked about the potential impact the online component could have on free-to-play titles. According to Reisdorf, games that resemble Call of Duty: Warzone may be in trouble when the new version of GTA online comes out. The developer pointed out that Rockstar listened to its community when adopting new content. “The nice part that Rockstar has done is say we're going to fire certain events, but we're also going to allow our community to do things and work with them in certain ways,” he said.

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Interestingly, Reisdorf made the distinction between more mature games, which War zoneand titles such as Roblox and Fortnite. He believed that the latter games may be better because they have a “different audience”. Unfortunately games like War zone attract a similar crowd to Rockstar's next game. This question is amplified when considering the huge number of players likely to play GTA 6 after launch. Estimates from some analysts predict that the game will earn $7.6 billion within 60 days. With so many fans, the overlap in player bases between some free games and GTA 6 can be significant.

It will be interesting to see what strategies some of these games can use to reduce the effect of GTA 6s launch. Before the last one GTA 6 delay, some developers purposefully announced release dates that would keep them away from Rockstar's games. While games like Call of Duty: Warzone are already available, they can run more in-game events or offer more rewards to try and attract players back. Conversely, they might try to ride out the initial surge in popularity and hope their player base doesn't take too much of a hit.

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While GTA 6 may be nearly a year away from release, that hasn't stopped speculation about the title. Specifically, the debate continues about how much the game will cost. Recently, the former technical director at Rockstar North, Obbe Vermeij, weighed in GTA 6 price discussion. Despite rumors that the game could cost $100, Vermeij believed it would be a “regularly priced game”, reasoning that the company could net a profit through things like a post-launch online mode.

In the end, players will have to wait and see what the price of GTA 6 will be. While many fans will buy the game regardless, the price may affect how many copies are sold. In the long run, this can affect the effect the game can have on War zone and other free titles.