Many gamers are familiar with the Grand Theft Auto franchise, so it might seem that the upcoming GTA VI doesn't need a massive advertising campaign — after all, "everyone knows about it."
Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick said at the GamesBeat Insider event that investors often ask the same question, along the lines of, "It's obvious — everyone has heard of Grand Theft Auto VI. So why are you spending money on marketing? Wouldn't it be better to just release the game?"
Zelnick explained that games differ from other "linear" media (like movies) — they are interactive. The audience needs to be told exactly what they will get:
It seems to me that when launching entertainment projects aimed at a wide audience, there is no choice: you always have to go out to people and generate enthusiasm. Awareness is one thing, and enthusiasm is quite another. We need to show people exactly what they will get, because in linear entertainment, you just sit there, and content is shown to you. You don't need to interact with it, install anything, or have any knowledge. You may like it or not, but it's a passive experience.
Zelnick also expressed the opinion that the system cannot be cheated: "If a product is bad, you can advertise it as much as you want — people still won't notice the advertisement. If the advertisement is terrible, you can scare people away, and if it's excellent, you can create a lot of hype."
According to Zelnick, their goal when promoting projects is "to turn awareness into enthusiasm [hype], and if people don't know about the release, to tell them about it."
In addition, a statement appeared regarding the new GTA Online — it will not be available at launch. Take-Two emphasized that GTA VI is a "single-player game, its release is scheduled for November" and clarified that GTA Online will continue to be supported after the release of GTA VI.
At the same time, players also paid attention to the words of the head of Twitch: Dan Clancy said that the new GTA Online could appear in 2027:
We've had a lot of discussions with Rockstar about their plans, and we've also helped them think about how to engage our content creators [streamers]. You'll see a significant jump [in metrics] with the release of GTA VI, but next year, when they launch the multiplayer mode, it will be even bigger.