Take-Two Interactive chief Strauss Zelnick has a way with words, and his latest one is sure to hype anyone counting down to August 27.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Zelnick called the Netflix debut of Grand Theft Auto VI "one of the hors d'oeuvres." In case that was too subtle, he even spelled it out. "There's appetizers, main course and dessert to follow."
With the same executive promising a short and intense marketing campaign earlier this year, many expected the long-awaited highlight of it all to be Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look. However, Zelnick is telling us that it is a mere nibble before the real marketing begins.
For those who aren't aware of what it all means, an hors d'oeuvre is the little appetizer you get before a big dinner. Rockstar Games putting its first real gameplay footage on Netflix, a decision we broke down here, is merely the opening bite. Zelnick is promising several more courses of trailers, footage, and who knows what else between now and the November 19 launch.
Simply put, the biggest game on earth is about to carpet-bomb you with marketing, so you better make room.
Labelling your biggest reveal an appetizer is great for the same reason Zelnick is refusing to a name number for how successful the GTA 6 pre-orders have been. If the Extended Look blows people away, imagine what the main course looks like. If it underwhelms, well, it was only the starter. The ever-shrewd CEO has pre-written the hype and the excuse for the big GTA 6 Netflix reveal in the same sentence, all the real thing draws real friction for being locked to a streaming platform.
In case you didn't know, you need a Netflix subscription to watch it live, or you can wait six hours for the broadcast he says will feel like a show to hit YouTube. Stack that on the $79.99 base price, the $99.99 Ultimate Edition, and the regions shut out of the premiere entirely, and the cost adds up.
None of this means the food is bad though. A multi-course rollout is exactly how you market a game this size. We have already watched the table get set, from streamers quietly getting followed to Netflix clearing creators to cover the premiere. What we do not have is a menu with prices, or the faintest idea what the main course actually is. A second Netflix event? A real gameplay deep dive? The online mode Rockstar still refuses to discuss?
So take Zelnick at his word. August 27 is the appetizer, and it is worth showing up for, especially with everything we are expecting from it. Just remember that this kitchen has you paying for the starter, guessing at the main, and applauding numbers it will not show you. Definitely bring an appetite, but do keep one hand on your wallet while you're at it.
