Rob-Two would perchance perchance no longer launch marketing GTA 6 till it’s nearer to launch: “The anticipation for this title can be the finest anticipation I’ve ever viewed for any entertainment property”

Rockstar Games ignite the excitement with its inaugural GTA 6 trailer, and in a captivating manner, it has remained notably quiet about the massive title ever since. However, this is not merely Rockstar being its usual self. There is a strategic reason behind this hush: corporate owner Take-Two aims to keep the anticipation at a peak until the game is closer to its release, which implies that the next time we catch a glimpse of GTA 6, its launch might not be far behind.

This insight comes courtesy of Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, who recently discussed the blockbuster with Bloomberg. “The excitement for this title could be the highest anticipation I’ve ever encountered for any entertainment property, and I have seen a lot in my time,” Zelnick commented about the game – and he might not be overstating that. The first trailer for GTA 6 alone has garnered nearly 250 million views, likely from the millions who purchased GTA 5 and have been waiting for over a decade for a follow-up.

“I’ve engaged in every entertainment sector possible,” Zelnick continued. “We want to sustain the excitement and the anticipation.” The CEO remarked how its “rivals” often promote their games years ahead of their eventual release, but Take-Two believes that a reserved approach will better maintain the excitement. “We’ve discovered that a more effective strategy is to roll out marketing materials fairly close to the launch window to generate that buzz on one hand while managing the excitement with the anticipation. We don’t always execute this perfectly, but that’s our objective.”

Take-Two has previously affirmed that GTA 6 is still slated for a fall 2025 release, so when we see that much-anticipated second trailer hinges on what Zelnick means by “close.” Regardless, I wouldn’t hold my breath for another look at the game until at least this summer, which doesn’t bother me — I prefer not to see too much of GTA 6 before its release anyway.

The author’s hesitancy to disclose much about the game until months before its launch might not bode well for other developers hoping to release a game in the next, err, 9 months. Numerous publishers are reportedly panicking over GTA 6’s launch window and are willing to delay their own releases to avoid colliding with it since, well, GTA 6 could potentially be the largest black hole (for consumers’ time and finances) in the industry.

Take-Two CEO asserts that AI users who believe they can simply push a button and say, ‘Create the next GTA 6’ are entirely mistaken: “The significant creative advancements will be driven by humans”