Players have long complained that the creators of Grand Theft Auto VI are not publishing new footage. Rockstar Games responded to this with an announcement of an extended showing of the game, but there's a catch — the premiere will take place on the Netflix service. This decision greatly surprised video game fans.
An official statement regarding the collaboration with Rockstar Games appeared on the Netflix website. This partnership is called "unprecedented" and highlights an important date for the service itself:
The new installment of the cult series is released 13 years after the release of GTA V — in the same year Netflix began actively developing the production of original content. This collaboration marks a new generation of storytelling and content on Netflix.
Brandon Riegg, Vice President of Nonfiction Projects, commented on this collaboration:
Grand Theft Auto announcements themselves become cultural events. The anticipation and fan interest around Grand Theft Auto VI are unprecedented, and we are proud that Rockstar Games chose us to be the first to show the next part of the GTA story specifically to Netflix subscribers. This reflects what we strive for: for Netflix to become a platform where the most ambitious stories — from any media — find the widest possible audience.
Netflix is popular, and such a launch of GTA VI could attract an additional audience, so the partnership seems logical. However, there is another version from insider Tom Henderson — related to a large payment from Netflix:
GTA VI's revenue from this Netflix deal has probably already exceeded the equivalent of selling a million copies. I doubt we'll ever know the exact figures, but it was a significant sum that prompted Take-Two to make the deal.
The premiere of the extended showing of Grand Theft Auto VI on Netflix is expected at the end of August. Six hours later, the developers will have to publish the presented materials on YouTube as well.
GTA VI is scheduled for release on November 19 this year only on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. The release date or release window for the PC version of the game has not yet been announced.