One trailer is enough to trigger global hype

Frankfurt am Main. The makers of GTA VI are apparently thinking in longer historical lines. The 90-second trailer fits in with this. The imagery is strongly reminiscent of the cult television series Miami Vice. It had its heyday in the 1980s – older contemporaries remember it. The genre is taken up and placed in a video game that takes place in the present day.

The advertising clip is well received. It was viewed 100 million times on YouTube in just over 24 hours. It’s hard to imagine how any other entertainment product advertisement can top this.

The video was actually supposed to be released later

But GTA VI is also something very special. The three letters stand for the sixth version of “Grand Theft Auto,” which is the legal term for grand theft of a motor vehicle in US criminal law. Accordingly, the rapid sequence of images in the 90-second film also shows numerous scenes that are set in a criminal environment. There is clearly evidence of a serious robbery involving two masked perpetrators (male and female). There are also some indications of gang-related crimes as well as prostitution and drug trafficking.

This all takes place in a town called “Vice” in the fictional US state of Leonida. The video was actually supposed to be released later. But after it was leaked via Platform X (formerly Twitter), the game developer Rockstar Games officially posted it on YouTube. Since then, there has been an outpouring of comments on the Internet. Every single shot of the trailer is carefully analyzed by fans, trying to guess what’s new and different.

Of course, X boss Elon Musk also weighed in via his platform and admitted that he tried to play the previous version (GTA V). “But I didn’t like committing crimes. In GTA V, police officers had to be shot in the opening scene. Just couldn’t do it.”

Fans have been waiting for a new version for ten years

And GTA VI also obviously remains true to tradition. Since the first version, in 1997, the basic idea has been that GTA users take on the role of a small-time gangster who has to complete various missions for his boss. From rather harmless courier trips, to car theft, to an attack on a police station.

The trailer’s exegetes agree that this time the focus is on a couple in the style of Bonnie and Clyde, whose relationship, however, is not without conflict. Because that’s what the song that is played during the clip is about: “Love is a Long Road” by Tom Petty.

Further details are expected to follow soon. In any case, the fans’ expectations are extremely high. They have been waiting for a new version for years and expect a new milestone in the history of gaming. GTA V is already ten years old. A makeover is overdue. Because the video game takes up many elements from the real world right from the start. Gamers can listen to the radio, go to the cinema or use the Internet – but ten years ago, for example, TikTok and Instagram didn’t even exist. By the way, players are also able to play the game – i.e. GTA – within the game.

Expectations for GTA VI are high

Such self-deprecating gags are typical, as are many allusions to film and television history and satirical comments on the American way of life. The spicy mix also includes well-calculated breaking of taboos with the depiction of sex and violence. For which Rockstar founder Sam Houser had to listen to a lot of criticism.

However, he knows what he owes his customers: “Grand Theft Auto VI continues our efforts to push the boundaries of what has previously been possible in highly immersive, story-driven open-world experiences. “We are thrilled to be able to share this new vision with players around the world,” he said in a press release.

GTA has set standards for the entire industry. Also in a commercial sense. The fifth version alone sold 190 million copies, generating almost $8.5 billion in sales. Analysts at Baired Equity Research now expect the sixth version to gross $3 billion in the first twelve months after release alone.

Disappointment over publication date causes shares to collapse

However, it remains unclear when marketing will begin. At the end of the clip, the number “2025” appears. This caused the shares of rock star parent Take-Two to collapse by almost four percent in US stock trading on Tuesday evening. Fans reacted angry and outraged online. “What’s the point, I might be dead in 2025,” wrote one. Many had hoped that GTA VI would be offered during the current Christmas season. What also caused a stir was that there was no talk of a PC version so far; the game will only run on the Playstation 5 and the Xbox Series X and S.

The Take-Two price recovered again on Thursday. The Baired experts also emphasize that the commercial response and quality of the game are more important than the release date. To increase the latter, fans have suggested adding another Musk parody to GTA VI.