The Best Buy affiliate email that added $2 billion to Take-Two Interactive's stock price this week just ran into Tom Henderson, who poured cold water into the hot rumors about Grand Theft Auto 6 possibly getting pre-orders as early as next week.
Henderson, the lead reporter at Insider Gaming and one of the most prominent gaming industry insiders, appeared on the Insider Gaming Weekly podcast on May 16 and said he does not believe pre-orders for GTA 6 are actually opening on Monday, May 18. While he confirmed the Best Buy email is legitimate and dated May 18 through May 21, he does not think any of it means what the community thinks it means.
Honestly. His assessment makes sense. It wouldn't be the first time Grand Theft Auto fans have read into something thinking it was incoming GTA 6 news, only to have their hearts broken.
But that's not all that Henderson said. He added:
We've said this for the longest time. I think we've all said that we believe we're not going to get anything tangible until July, August, especially August, when their next earnings call is going to be.
Henderson's Arguments and Counter-Arguments
| Argument | Henderson's Position | Counter-Argument |
|---|---|---|
No insider rumblings | Henderson has not heard from sources about significant Rockstar news for May 18 | Rockstar is the most secretive studio in gaming; absence of insider intel does not equal absence of plans |
Retail logistics | Large retailers need days of technical preparation to handle pre-order traffic; no evidence of this preparation is visible | Best Buy's affiliate email is itself evidence of preparation; the campaign dates (May 18-21) were specific, not placeholder |
Historical pattern | Rockstar does not let retailer data dictate its announcements; marketing likely begins July or August | Zelnick said marketing starts "soon" at iicon on April 28; "soon" two weeks ago means weeks, not months |
Henderson's argument is built on these pillars.
Henderson's explanation for the email is that it was likely a system error, an outdated placeholder, or an internal Best Buy preparation step that was sent to affiliates prematurely. He suggests the email's existence proves that Best Buy is setting up its pre-order infrastructure, but does not prove that Monday is the go-live date.
However, the copium is strong. Strong enough that Reddit user u/CristianPerlado went ahead and compiled a list of Henderson's previous calls on Rockstar Games and GTA 6 that did not pan out. The list included Henderson's past claims about GTA 6 reveal timing, marketing windows, and various development details that either did not materialize or were contradicted by subsequent events.
Everyone is basically saying that even though Henderson is a credible insider for many studios, his specific track record with Rockstar is not strong enough to override a verified Best Buy email with specific dates.
With GTA 6 launching on November 19, an August marketing start would give Rockstar roughly three months of active campaign time, a timeframe shorter than any Rockstar marketing window in the studio's history.
Evidence Split
| Evidence | Supports May 18 Pre-Orders | Supports July/August |
|---|---|---|
Best Buy affiliate email (May 18-21 dates) | Yes: specific campaign dates, legitimate email from Impact network | Henderson says email is real but dates may be placeholders |
Zelnick said marketing starts "soon" (April 28 iicon) | Yes: "soon" two weeks later = May timing | "Soon" is vague; could mean June or July |
Take-Two stock surged 10% on the leak | Yes: market treated the leak as credible | Markets react to speculation; does not confirm the date |
May 21 earnings call | Yes: pre-orders opening 3 days before the call gives Zelnick data to present | Zelnick may simply reaffirm the date and tease "summer" marketing |
Henderson's sources | No insider confirmation of May 18 news | Rockstar's secrecy means even insiders are often blindsided |
Retail infrastructure preparation | No visible evidence of retailer-side server prep | Best Buy email itself is prep evidence |
Rockstar's history | Rockstar has shadow-dropped major announcements before | Rockstar also historically takes its time |
Breaking down the evidence for both sides of the argument.
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Henderson is probably right that Monday will not include all the things the community is hoping for, but he could also have gotten the July/August dates wrong.
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has promised several times that marketing for GTA 6 will start this summer and Rockstar will break their silence soon.
When Trailer 1's announcement was leaked by Jason Schreier in November 2023, it caught Rockstar off guard because the leak came from within the company. It affected so much that Rockstar reportedly wanted to delay the announcement and subsequent release out of spite. Then, when Trailer 1 itself leaked early on December 4, 2023, Rockstar responded by releasing it ahead of schedule. The studio's information security has become so tight that even well-sourced insiders are frequently blindsided by announcements.
Make no mistake. Henderson is a credible voice, but his Rockstar track record is imperfect. The Best Buy email is a verified document with ambiguous implications, and Rockstar, as always, is saying nothing while the rest of the world argues about what its silence means.
We will know more by Wednesday.