GTA 6’s Marketing Strategy Is Frustrating, But It Actually Makes Sense

Grand Theft Auto 6 will be the biggest game release of 2025, but it doesn’t feel that way, judging by the marketing. It’s been nearly a year and a half since the lone GTA 6 trailer dropped, which was the last piece of GTA 6 material released to the public. People are eagerly awaiting a second trailer, and the GTA community has come up with wild theories from the phases of the moon to the number 27 in predicting what’s next for GTA 6.

There’s still no release date, and with the lack of announcements, people wonder if GTA 6 will even come out in 2025, despite numerous assurances from Take-Two that a 2025 release is still planned. It’s incredibly frustrating, but when looking at new comments made by Take-Two’s CEO Strauss Zelnick, it’s the right path forward.

Zelnick Provides Disappointing Grand Theft Auto 6 News

New Info Is Still Likely Months Away

In a recent interview on the Bloomberg Television YouTube channel, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick was asked about the release date for GTA 6. This is an important question not only for expectant players but also for many publishers, as studios are reportedly preparing to delay their games in the event the release date comes close to GTA 6. Zelnick said:

We found that the better thing to do is to provide marketing materials relatively close to the release window in order to create that excitement on the one hand and balance the excitement with unmet anticipation. We don’t always get it exactly right, but that’s what we’re trying to do.

Most other publishers do, in fact, release marketing materials over a year ahead of a game’s release. It works great for titles like Death Stranding 2: On the Beach with its mystique, but for such a huge landmark game like Grand Theft Auto 6, it’s better to go the Call of Duty route and start releasing the bulk of marketing materials in the summer.

This Grand Theft Auto 6 Marketing Strategy Is The Perfect Route Financially

The Last Few Months Before Release Are Key

In order to maximize profit and anticipation from the average consumer, the best marketing route is starting close to release. First, kick-starting a marketing campaign close to release ensures that pre-order pages for digital stores are already up and running, leading to tons of guaranteed sales. Call of Duty has been doing this for a long time, and having more expensive Vault Editions available for pre-order on the game’s reveal is a big part of COD’s commercial success.

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Second, GTA 6 will stay in consumers’ minds until the game’s released just a few months later. Having a longer time for marketing allows the possibility of many average consumers forgetting about GTA 6. Having the entire marketing window between the summer and fall of 2025 ensures maximum anticipation, and everyone will be excited until the release date. The lack of new information is frustrating, for sure, but marketing Grand Theft Auto 6 this way is ultimately what’s best for both Take-Two and the general audience.

Source: Bloomberg Television/YouTube

Grand Theft Auto VI is an installment in Rockstar Games’ wildly successful franchise. Set in a new location after the events of Grand Theft Auto V, VI will see players arrive in a new sprawling city where they can explore the world they want while completing various story and side quests while taking whatever vehicles players desire.

Platform(s)

PS5, Xbox Series X|S

Released

2025