As Sony desperately tries to stop Microsoft from owning one of the largest publishers in the world, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft is doing the exact opposite as it pleads with several of the world's governing bodies to approve the sale.

As part of its latest attempt, Microsoft points to other big-name publishers and their respective games. But, in doing so, Microsoft might have lit a fuse under the rumor fire as it effectively confirms that Grand Theft Auto 6 will be out by 2024.

According to the 111-page document filed by Microsoft to the Competition and Markets Authority in the United Kingdom, the tech giant casually mentioned "the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 is expected to be released in 2024."

Just like that, the internet went crazy and the hype hasn't died down since.

It's worth mentioning 2024 and 2025 are two key dates frequently mentioned by the rumors that are surrounding GTA 6. But, before you start saving up for a copy of GTA 6 and a PC that you want to enjoy at its fullest, you might want to take this with a grain of salt. As it turns out, Microsoft, just like us, was citing reports from TechRadar and Bloomberg in the official document. This implies that Microsoft knows no better than us when it comes to the release date of GTA 6.

Of course, Microsoft is a giant in the tech industry. Microsoft could have insider knowledge about GTA 6's release window. 2024 could be the earliest year when we'll see GTA 6 come out, but Rockstar Games could still roll it out later if it feels like it's incomplete.

At the end of the day, the hype surrounding GTA 6 will never die down. Cybersleuths will be digging into every bit of info that they can find on the internet and make a fuss. It doesn't help someone leaked in-development gameplay footage of GTA 6 a few months back and it confirmed several earlier rumors. Not to mention, the build from the leak is at a certain stage where Rockstar can release GTA 6 if not unveil it in two years.

However, as far as GTA 6 is concerned, it's Rockstar's world and we're just living in it.

For now, we can pine our hopes on Take-Two Interactive CEO, Strauss Zelnick, when he said that the hack will not impact development and that GTA 6 will set new creative benchmarks for the entire entertainment industry.