Take-Two Interactive chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick just lately sat down with Bloomberg to speak all issues video video games. The dialog is fairly stuffy for those who don’t have a lot curiosity within the enterprise facet of issues, however Zelnick did present some perception into how subsidiary Rockstar Video games is dealing with Grand Theft Auto 6 advertising, particularly mentioning that the developer won’t put out a second trailer for the extremely anticipated recreation till we get nearer to its tentative fall 2025 launch window.
“We do have rivals who will describe their launch schedule for years prematurely,” Zelnick instructed Bloomberg anchor David Westin as the 2 spoke in an workplace filled with pseudo-shrines to the corporate’s previous successes. “We discovered that the higher factor to do is to offer advertising supplies comparatively near the discharge window to be able to create that pleasure on the one hand and steadiness the thrill with unmet anticipation. We don’t all the time get it precisely proper, however that’s what we are attempting to do.”
Going by Rockstar’s earlier video games, this can be a technique the studio has employed earlier than. The preliminary Grand Theft Auto 5 trailer was launched on November 2, 2011, however didn’t get a second till greater than a 12 months in a while April 30, 2013. Equally, Pink Useless Redemption 2’s first trailer debuted on October 16, 2016, however it took till September 28, 2017 to get a second. Each video games’ advertising campaigns picked up as they received nearer to launch, however even then, Rockstar has by no means been about inundating the business with business after business main as much as a significant recreation like some studios.
Whereas the starvation this creates in followers can typically be overwhelming, it additionally has the advantage of creating a distinct type of advertising for which Rockstar doesn’t need to foot the invoice. Again in November 2024, game-feeds reported on a fan idea that the stage of the moon in a Grand Theft Auto On-line screenshot was a clue in the direction of when the following Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer would drop. Did this find yourself being true? Completely not — however it was a enjoyable method to cowl one thing foolish folks have been doing on-line as they awaited one of the vital anticipated video games on the horizon.
“The anticipation for [Grand Theft Auto 6] often is the biggest I’ve ever seen for an leisure property,” Zelnick mentioned when Bloomberg requested concerning the recreation’s secretive launch date, “and I’ve been across the block a number of occasions and I’ve been in each leisure enterprise there’s. We wish to keep the anticipation and the thrill.”
