What You Missed This Week in Video Games

“Game On” is The Fly’s weekly recap of the stories powering up or beating down video game stocks.

NEW RELEASES: Among this week’s notable new releases is Sega’s (SGAMY) “Sonic Dream Team,” which releases for mobile on Apple Arcade (AAPL) on December 5. Also out this week is Capcom’s (CCOEY) “Resident Evil 4” in virtual reality for the PlayStation VR2 (SONY), which launches December 8. Additionally, Ubisoft’s (UBSFY) “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora,” an open world action game based on the “Avatar” film franchise, releases December 7 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S (MSFT), and PC.

‘GRAND THEFT AUTO VI’: After the new trailer leaked early, Take-Two’s (TTWO) Rockstar Games confirmed that “Grand Theft Auto VI,” the first all-new game in the series since 2013, will be releasing on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 in 2025. “‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ continues our efforts to push the limits of what’s possible in highly immersive, story-driven open-world experiences,” said Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games. “We’re thrilled to be able to share this new vision with players everywhere.”

Following the announcement, Deutsche Bank said it believes Take-Two’s fiscal 2025 guidance implies that “GTA VI” will launch during that fiscal year, which ends March 2025, and the trailer supports this timeline. Meanwhile, Stifel analyst Drew Crum raised the firm’s price target on Take-Two to $175 from $167, saying his main takeaway from the trailer was the “coming 2025” launch window and its game model. Additionally, Roth MKM noted that while the stock fell in after-hours trading yesterday amid concerns the game might now be a fiscal 2026 release instead of fiscal 2025, this concern is “overblown.”

Click here to check out recent Media Buzz Sentiment on Take-Two as measured by TipRanks.

GAME PASS: Last week, Xbox CFO Tim Stuart said that Microsoft is seeking to bring its Xbox Game Pass subscription service to PlayStation and Nintendo (NTDOY) platforms, according to Gamespot’s Eddie Makuch. Stuart said that the Wells Fargo TMT Summit that the company’s aim is to make first-party games and the subscription service available on “every screen that can play games.” “It’s a bit of a change of strategy. Not announcing anything broadly here, but our mission is to bring our first-party experiences our subscription services to every screen that can play games,” Stuart said. “That means smart TVs, that means mobile devices, that means what we would have thought of as competitors in the past like PlayStation and Nintendo.”

Following the comments, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer told Windows Central’s Jez Corden that the company has “no plans” to bring Games Pass to the rival platforms. “I’ll start by saying we have no plans to bring Game Pass to PlayStation or Nintendo,” Spencer said late last week. “It’s not in our plans. But I think you hit on the right point of ‘what it means to own an Xbox.’ The thing I want to be focused on is how do we continue to innovate for people who’ve made the commitment to our hardware platform? And how do we continue to make sure that they feel great about their investment in what we’ve built.”

OTHER STORIES TO WATCH:

• Sega said that “Sonic Superstars” had a weaker-than-expected launch, VGC reports (read more)
• Xbox is in talks with partners to launch a mobile app store, Bloomberg reports (read more)
• Ubisoft will release pirate multiplayer game “Skull and Bones” in February 2024 after multiple delays, Insider Gaming reports (read more)
• Meanwhile, Ubisoft confirmed that “Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition” will release in early 2024 (read more)