Greg Rice describes GTA 6 as "a big economic boost for the games industry," predicting it will be a "multiple billion dollar title."

Whereas other video game companies like Xbox, Electronic Arts, and even Take-Two Interactive, are adjusting their development timelines to avoid the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 later this year, one Sony executive is a firm believer of the common adage, "a rising tide lifts all boats."

Speaking at the Game Developers Conference with GamesRadar, PlayStation's Greg Rice offers a more optimistic perspective about GTA 6's impending release window. I hear a lot of the opposite of devs, worried about it sucking all the space out. 'I don't want to launch during GTA week or even month, because that's all anyone's gonna be playing,'" he said. However, Rice counters this fear with a more nuanced view of the industry's maturity and diversity.

Rice doesn't deny the massive impact GTA 6 will have, stating it's "going to be the best, awesome, giant game for the year, for sure." He fully expects the game to "do gangbusters and sell millions of copies." Yet, he argues that the gaming industry has evolved to a point where there's room for both blockbuster titles and smaller, unique experiences.

One of the key benefits Rice foresees is GTA 6's potential to attract new players to the gaming ecosystem. As people invest in current-gen consoles to play GTA 6, something that both Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick and Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki believes will happen, they may end up discovering other titles that are just as impressive if not better. This influx of new players could create opportunities for other developers and studios to showcase their work to a broader audience.

Although Rice is saying this from the perspective of someone who handles mostly indie titles, it's easy to see how we could say the same about other AAA titles that may come out around the same time as GTA 6.

While Rice acknowledges that for some gamers, GTA 6 might be the only title they play, he sees this as an opportunity rather than a threat. "It'll be the opportunity to get in on the new console generation and see what else is out there," Rice explains. This curiosity could lead players to explore other genres and styles of games.

Ultimately, what Rice is saying that the game's release could convince many to finally upgrade to current-gen hardware, especially the PS5 Pro, which is set to benefit from new and improved technology next year.

At the moment, Grand Theft Auto V remains one of the best-selling and most-played games across all platforms. Dozens of millions of players are still on their PlayStation 4 and Xbox One playing Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Edition, seeing no reason to upgrade. GTA 6 could indeed be why these millions will ditch their other platforms. But, of course, only time will tell if they'll end up just buying GTA 6 and play it for the next decade or if the switch to a new platform will encourage them to try out other titles.

Speaking of GTA 6, maybe Rice has a reason to speak positively of Rockstar Games and the upcoming sixthquel. After all, there's a new rumor floating around that Rockstar and Sony have partnered for a huge GTA 6 marketing deal that will be announced within the next two months, presumably before the next Take-Two earnings call.