For all intents and purposes, Grand Theft Auto 6 is HIM. It’s THE game of games. It doesn’t need hype, it brings it. But, while the sequel to the most successful video game ever doesn’t need marketing, this hasn’t stopped rumor mongrels from believing that Rockstar Games will invest heavily in its announcement. It doesn’t help that several would-be insiders, including a certain “Chris Marxx” is making wild claims all over the internet.
Previously, Marxx claimed that GTA 6 would be announced on October 26, which led audiences to circle their calendars a day before Alan Wake 2 comes out – ironically, Remedy Entertainment has bad history regarding Rockstar Games releasing a game ahead of theirs.
Now, Marxx is making another claim, but unlike the previous one, which was more believable, it’s best to file this one under the “purely speculative” pile.
https://twitter.com/MarxxChris/status/1707906300313575845
According to Marxx, the “the preview campaign for Grand Theft Auto VI is underway”, claiming that the developers are “actively reaching out to journalists and influential figures within the industry.” Marxx ends his statement by saying that he can “unequivocally confirm that an announcement will be followed by previews very soon.
While this wouldn’t have raised alarms if we were talking about other developers making any another video game, this is Rockstar we’re talking about.
Rockstar doesn’t do previews until after a game’s announcement. Even then, the actual reveals usually come with little to no fanfare. So, it makes no sense for Rockstar to change their ways, show GTA 6 to journalists behind closed doors to risk another leak. GTA 6 is easily the safest bet in gaming history. It’s the kind of game that WILL sell well even with zero marketing. It could even open the pre-orders today and release GTA 6 as early as tomorrow and it will, at least, match the record set by GTA 5 for the best launch in gaming ever, beating the numbers posted by Hogwarts Legacy and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 by a sizable margin.
Marxx effectively shot down the credibility of the leaks – fans actually believed the imminent GTA 6 announcement after Rockstar dropped a very obvious nod to Grand Theft Auto 6 following the latest update to GTA Online – by making such an audacious claim.
This is akin to saying that a game will be released following its announcement and will include some form of marketing featuring the press and influencers, which isn’t insider information – it’s just stating the obvious.
So, where does that leave us? Well, back to square one, for starters.
Take-Two Interactive’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, can tease the release window of GTA 6 all he wants, but if you go back to all his statements, it’s clear here that only Rockstar knows when it’s going to release the next GTA game. There’s no reason for Rockstar to break precedent just because GTA 6 is the most leaked game it has ever made. With over a decade and billions put into GTA 6’s development, Rockstar can afford to take its sweet time.
Ultimately, while it’s fun to follow the circus surrounding insiders, it’s clear most of them are just as much in the dark as we all are.
But, in the off-chance that Marxx is right, we should probably pour one out for Alan Wake 2.
While Rockstar Games hasn’t dropped any hints about GTA 6 lately, it has been telegraphing its next move. After giving away free copies of the GTA Trilogy as part of a bonus for GTA+ subscribers, eagle-eyed observers noticed that Rockstar has plans to expand the gaming library of its GTA-centric subscription service.
