While Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive are in a unique position of having one of the biggest launches in entertainment history with Grand Theft Auto 6, former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida believes its level of success may eventually be replicated.
In an interview with The Verge during a recent episode of The Vergecast, Yoshida said another game might match up to Grand Theft Auto 6’s hype. However, he also acknowledged that it might just end up being Rockstar again when it eventually decides to develop Grand Theft Auto 7.
“After 15 years, maybe GTA 7, we’ll see,” he said when asked whether GTA 6’s success and hype will ever be matched by another game. “Or any of these companies from China, they might try to emulate or compete, because there will be [a] 15-year gap after GTA 6. So, no one should underestimate the power of these Chinese companies.”
Rockstar Games itself hasn’t shied away from discussing how much pressure it is facing for Grand Theft Auto 6. In an interview with Game Informer, Rockstar North co-studio head Aaron Garbut said the team is working hard to deliver the best product.
“As the pressure for us on this project is huge, we dealt with that by doing our best to over-deliver. Normally you compromise scale for detail or detail for interaction, but with this project we went the other way – everything is dialed up – detail, scope, breadth, scale, interaction, and density. I don’t think we have ever created anything close to this before.”
For an example of just how highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 is before its November 19th release on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, last month’s Extended Look showcase – released as a timed exclusive on Netflix – was seemingly a massive success for the streaming giant. Analysts estimated that it attracted more than 100,000 new sign-ups in the US, making it the third-highest subscriber acquisition for Netflix this year.
Netflix itself had confirmed that the Extended Look for Grand Theft Auto 6 garnered 31.1 million views in its first week, topping the English film charts for the streaming service in 87 of the 93 countries where this data is tracked.
The Grand Theft Auto 6 Extended Look was around 27 minutes and featured plenty of in-engine gameplay footage showcasing a variety of missions, cutscenes, activities, and conversations. However, CEO of Rockstar Games’ parent company Take-Two Interactive, Strauss Zelnick, has referred to the Extended Look as being “one of the hors d’oevres” in the game’s overall marketing plans.
“There’s appetizers, main course and dessert to follow,” he said before going on to call Netflix “a great marketing partner for us, and distribution partner.” Zelnick also revealed the collaboration came together thanks to “a groundbreaking partnership that Rockstar arranged.”
For more on Grand Theft Auto 6, check out what the studio has said about its world and its two protagonists.
