Ex-Rockstar Dev: No More GTA 6 Trailers, Hype Sufficient

As the anticipation for more Grand Theft Auto 6 news continues following the release of Trailer 1 in 2023, a former Rockstar developer has suggested that no more trailers should be released before the game's launch.

Rockstar released GTA 6 Trailer 1 to record-breaking viewership in December 2023, but since then, no further assets have been released. This prolonged wait has fueled a variety of conspiracy theories about the release of GTA 6 Trailer 2, ranging from counting the holes in Lucia’s cell door net, bullet holes in the car from Trailer 1, to analyzing registration plates. The most notable theory is the ongoing "moon watch," which successfully predicted the announcement date for Trailer 1 but was debunked as a hint at the release date for Trailer 2.

So, when will GTA 6 Trailer 2 be released? Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick has indicated that fans might have to wait until closer to the game's release date, set for fall 2025, for their next glimpse of this highly anticipated title.

However, former Rockstar Games technical director Obbe Vermeij, who worked on the series until 2008's Grand Theft Auto 4, tweeted that if it were up to him, he wouldn’t release any more trailers for GTA 6. He stated, “If it was my call I wouldn’t release any additional trailers. There is more than enough hype around VI and the element of surprise is going to make the release only bigger as an event.” In response to a user suggesting Rockstar might announce the GTA 6 release date and nothing else, Vermeij replied, “It would be a boss move.”

While Rockstar named the first trailer "GTA 6 Trailer 1," implying more trailers to follow, Vermeij's insights suggest that plans can change. He revealed that Rockstar delayed GTA 4 in July 2007, just three months before its intended October 16 release date, hinting that a similar "decision day" for GTA 6 might occur around Take-Two's August earnings report.

99 Details in the GTA 6 Trailer - Slideshow

View 51 ImagesIn an interview with Bloomberg in March, Zelnick discussed the secrecy around GTA 6's release date, stating, “The anticipation for that title may be the greatest anticipation I’ve ever seen for an entertainment property. And I’ve been around the block a few times and I’ve been in every entertainment business there is. We want to maintain the anticipation and the excitement. And we do have competitors who will describe their release schedule for years in advance. And 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 are trying to do.”

Mike York, a former animator at Rockstar New England who worked on Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, discussed on his YouTube channel how Rockstar is leveraging conspiracy theories to enhance anticipation. He explained that Rockstar's silence fuels speculation within the community, creating allure and mystery. York noted, “They're reaching and pulling and trying to come up with these really cool theories to decipher when the next trailer will be. Specifically Rockstar, they're very secretive about what they do, and this is a really cool tactic because it creates allure and it creates mystery and it creates people talking about it without them having to do anything. The more they're silent the better it is, because the more people will be antsy and want to talk about it and have this feeling of not knowing what's going to happen.”

York also suggested that Rockstar's strategy of not announcing the GTA 6 Trailer 2 release date is a deliberate marketing tactic that fosters community engagement and excitement.

Zelnick’s comments imply that if GTA 6 Trailer 2 does exist, it might not be released until closer to the game’s projected fall 2025 release date, assuming no delays occur.

While waiting for GTA 6, check out IGN’s coverage of an ex-Rockstar developer who believes the studio probably won’t be able to decide whether GTA 6 is delayed until May 2025, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick’s response to concern about the fate of GTA Online once GTA 6 comes out, and expert opinions on whether the PS5 Pro will run GTA 6 at 60 frames per second.