GTA 6 but not really
In the wake of a report by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier that a reveal about GTA 6 was imminent, Rockstar pulled the trigger the following morning for an official announcement, whether or not they did have it planned for that time. Without saying “Grand Theft Auto 6,” Rockstar has indeed confirmed when we will see the first trailer for the next GTA.
In a series of tweets, Rockstar aligns the release of the GTA 6 trailer with the 25th anniversary of the studio. This ultimately leads to the following message signed by Rockstar founder Sam Houser:
“We are very excited to let you know that in early December, we will release the first trailer for the next Grand Theft Auto. We look forward to many more years of sharing these experiences with all of you.”
Again, not calling it GTA 6, but it’s unclear why they wouldn’t call it that, given the unprecedented success of GTA 5 which has now sold 185 million copies since its release ten years ago. But whatever it’s called, it will no doubt be a hit unlike anything we’ve seen in the industry since GTA 5. There’s just nothing else on that level, or even close.
You may notice that “early December” aligns with The Game Awards on December 7, the video game Oscars, as it were, but one that’s full of world premiere trailers for big games. No doubt showrunner Geoff Keighley would kill for the show to debut that trailer, but this is Rockstar and GTA 6, they don’t need any sort of special platform to show off a trailer for a game that half the planet would probably watch within the hour.
However, I can see GTA 6 perhaps actually wanting to debut at The Game Awards as if it was known that the trailer was debuting there, the show would essentially shift to be “The GTA 6 Show” and the hype for the trailer would more or less consume the entire production, for better or worse.
GTA 6 is in a bit on an usual spot because there have been massive leaks about the nature of the game well ahead of any official announcement. Big elements have seemingly been revealed like the setting returning to Vice City, or thereabouts, and the idea that it’s a Bonnie and Clyde type setup with a pair of criminal headliners, including GTA’s first female protagonist.
The GTA 6 trailer may or may not include a release date, but all indications point to a likely late 2024 release, as Take Two has forecast massive increases in revenue that would of course align with a GTA release. We will likely not know any more for at least a month here, and we’ll see when Rockstar wants to hammer down more specific release dates, or if they will indeed end up showing it off at The Game Awards.
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