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IO Interactive Says GTA 6 Delay Gives 007 First Light More Breathing Room
GameSpot reports that IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak said GTA 6's move from May to November 2026 gives 007 First Light "a bit more breathing room", while stressing that Rockstar likely had good reasons for the delay.
Key update
GameSpot's May 5 report on IO Interactive adds a new industry reaction to Rockstar's GTA 6 delay. CEO Hakan Abrak discussed how the move from May 2026 to November 2026 affects 007 First Light, the studio's James Bond game that is now scheduled to launch on May 27.
Why it matters
Abrak told The Game Business that he would be lying if he claimed he did not care about GTA 6 shifting away from First Light's launch window. According to the report, he said the delay gives IO Interactive "a bit more breathing room" as the Bond game prepares to release without Rockstar's blockbuster landing in the same late-spring conversation.
What to watch
The comment is not framed as celebration. Abrak also called GTA a "huge behemoth" for the games industry, said IO never wishes another studio ill, and noted that Rockstar and Take-Two likely had good reasons for pushing the game to November. His expectation remains that GTA 6 is going to be "amazing."
Context
The update matters because it shows GTA 6's calendar gravity in real time. Earlier coverage focused on publishers and developers trying to avoid the November 19 launch; this GameSpot piece adds a specific May-window example, with 007 First Light now gaining clearer space after Rockstar vacated its original release period.
Bottom line
GameSpot's wider article also covers IO Interactive's delayed Switch 2 version of 007 First Light and the studio's still-in-development fantasy RPG, but the GTA 6 angle is the clearest takeaway: even a studio with a major licensed Bond game is tracking Rockstar's release date closely when planning its own launch strategy.