On the time of scripting this intro, it’s August sixth 2026. I’m on my lunch break, and I’m pissed (off, not drunk).
Tomorrow, at 12:00pm UTC, Take-Two will maintain its Q1 2027 earnings convention name. This name will serve largely as a possibility for the fits to congratulate themselves on the soul-crushing work being carried out by studios world wide at their behest.
They’ll be patting themselves on the again for 2 causes:
- Document projections suggesting 2026/27 would be the most profitable yr within the firm’s historical past.
- A contemporary inventory bump off the again of at this time’s announcement.
In case you missed it, this ‘announcement’ refers to the truth that after over 450 days, we’re lastly getting our third correct have a look at Grand Theft Auto 6 – and no, I’m not counting June’s pre-order announcement and screenshot drop, why would I?
As a lifelong Rockstar Video games stooge, I’ve been wishing for this present day for over a yr. However in a neat little monkey’s paw twist, it seems we’re not getting a trailer forward of the earnings name. As an alternative, Rockstar has taken what’s presumably life‑altering cash – life‑altering for normal folks, pocket change for an organization —giving Netflix temporary however unique rights to an prolonged have a look at the sport on August twenty seventh.
Now, as somebody eagerly anticipating the following entry within the GTA franchise, this could imply an important deal to me. In actuality, I really feel little or no. Right here’s why.
The lengthy stroll to Leonida
At this stage, it’s honest to say that the journey in the direction of Grand Theft Auto 6 has been irritating at greatest, shambolic at worst. For the avoidance of doubt, right here’s a timeline of the foremost bulletins up to now, full with my reactions to every of them.
I believe you’ll be able to agree, it’s fairly sparse. To be honest although, Rockstar’s advertising and marketing at all times is and it’s as a result of they’ll afford to be. Theirs is a pedigree constructed over many years of industry-defining titles. To play a Rockstar sport is to play one thing the remainder of the {industry} will spend years and hundreds of thousands of {dollars} attempting to copy – solely to be blown out of the water by their subsequent title.
To play a Rockstar sport is to play one thing the remainder of the {industry} will spend years and hundreds of thousands of {dollars} attempting to copy — solely to be blown out of the water by their subsequent title.
Nonetheless, there’s a vital line within the sand that I’d like to attract right here. Rockstar have gotten away with this traditionally as a result of on the finish of the day, they’ve given us video games of unparalleled high quality, element and scope. Proper? WRONG.
The period of company Rockstar begins
I believe it’s straightforward for us to consider Rockstar because the Rockstar of outdated: the builders that gave us video games which noticed us via our childhood, the studio that delivered ten titles (together with standalone expansions) in the course of the seventh-generation of consoles. This isn’t who they’re anymore.
In a really actual sense, Rockstar had one thing to show with Grand Theft Auto 6’s advertising and marketing. In recent times, the studio has made a sequence of uncharacteristic choices, dealing them deserved reputational chip injury since 2013.
It started with the unprecedented success of GTA On-line, a platform that continues to afford Rockstar generational wealth year-on-year and one which has steadily moved the needle on how the corporate operates and sees itself. As soon as the infinite cash glitch of GTA On-line was activated, priorities shifted: a single participant DLC nixed right here, just a little microtransactional stress there. And but, the sport was enjoyable. I clocked a whole lot of hours myself and made a number of reminiscences taking part in with my brothers and mates, fortunately misplaced in its insanity. The worst was but to come back.
“Definitive version”
On November 11th 2021, Grove Road Video games launched Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Version. In idea, it made excellent sense; a remastered assortment of the three video games that made up the GTA 3D Period and that had cemented Rockstars rep as an {industry} powerhouse.
In actuality, it blew. The sport launched in an unacceptable state and even after years of patches, it’s nonetheless lower than the excessive benchmark anticipated from the studio. This was due largely to the truth that Rockstar was not accountable for growth of the gathering. As an alternative, it went to Grove Road Video games – a studio that, regardless of the title, is in some way not affiliated with Rockstar in any approach, and is genuinely named after the road it was based on. Insane.
I’ve seen many defend Rockstar primarily based on this distinction however right here, I’ve to disagree. Rockstar had (and nonetheless has) an obligation to protect these video games so far as they’re in a position – and financially talking, they’re greater than in a position. These video games made Rockstar what they’re. For them to not step in, permit this to exit the door and at a $59.99 USD worth level was, and stays, unacceptable.
Nonetheless, no less than you’ll be able to play these titles as meant on trendy consoles through their PS2 ports. Nicely, no – really you’ll be able to’t. As soon as the “definitive” version was launched, the ports had been struck from digital storefronts, which means that the one option to play these titles at this time is by crusing the seven seas. Yarrr!
To sacrifice these video games on the altar of monetary reward rubbed me the unsuitable approach on the time and it’s solely rankled because the years have handed, however no less than it couldn’t get any worse.
(Un)Civil Union
Final yr, Rockstar fired dozens of staff from its UK and Canadian studios, saying they’d shared confidential firm data — conduct it characterised as gross misconduct. The affected staff and the Impartial Employees’ Union of Nice Britain (IWGB) Recreation Employees department, which had been serving to them organise, dispute that account and say the dismissals had been retaliation for union exercise. Rockstar denies this, however the transfer has drawn widespread accusations of union-busting, and the IWGB has taken the matter to an employment tribunal. For those who’re on the lookout for extra data on this, I might suggest the good work being achieved by the parents over at People Make Games.
It’s the most recent in an extended line of allegations levelled on the firm and its employment practices. For years, the studio has confronted reported allegations of crunch tradition, gender-based pay disparities and the usage of bonuses as a stress or retention tactic, and evidently this isn’t set to vary anytime quickly.
I’m sufficiently old to recollect the January 2010 nameless open letter titled Rockstar Partner, printed by the companions of builders at Rockstar San Diego. It uncovered extreme, exploitative 12‑hour workday crunch in the course of the ultimate growth of the unique Purple Lifeless Redemption.
Plainly obligatory time beyond regulation hasn’t improved within the years since, with Grand Theft Auto 6 builders claiming to have labored 80 hour weeks within the run as much as the sport’s launch this November. I wish to be clear: Rockstar’s builders are artists, they usually deserve the respect and dignity that that title confers.
I’m not blind to the realities of contemporary enterprise. On the finish of the day I perceive that GTA 6 is a product to be offered at first however this shouldn’t come on the expense of the expertise making you that cash. Provided that {industry} analysts anticipate the title might make between $3.25 billion and $5.2 billion in week-one launch income and its even much less acceptable.
Rockstars or sellouts?
In addition to all of this, Rockstar has confirmed allergic to fast wins lately. Regardless of lots of their friends releasing subsequent‑gen upgrades for final‑technology titles, Purple Lifeless Redemption 2 — arguably the corporate’s crowning achievement — remains to be but to obtain one. The ultimate replace for GTA On-line additionally left many followers chilly with extreme heist payout nerfs throughout the board, excessive entry prices for brand new properties, and low replay worth.
All that is to say, I hope I’ve illustrated the purpose I made above: that the Rockstar of 2026 isn’t the Rockstar that many people fell in love with and greater than that I hope I’ve achieved so in a approach that leaves emotion to the facet. Nonetheless, this brings me neatly again to this newest announcement.
It’s official: Netflix will host our subsequent, and certain, first correct have a look at how the sport performs and whereas they’ll solely take pleasure in a six-hour exclusivity window to the information, this has actually irritated me.
To place it plainly, Rockstar didn’t want to do that. Grand Theft Auto is a sequence so tied up within the cultural zeitgeist, so ubiquitous that you just actually don’t even must promote it that closely. Alone, the second trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI shattered entertainment history by pulling in an unprecedented 475 million views throughout all platforms in its first 24 hours. Individuals who don’t play video games play Grand Theft Auto, they’ll even purchase a console outright to take action. You might ask an ideal stranger on the street what does GTA stand for, their eyes would briefly glaze over after which, virtually involuntarily the title of the sequence would cross their lips.
At its core, that is nothing greater than two extremely rich corporations propping one another up for substantial monetary acquire. This isn’t an announcement for the followers, it’s one for the shareholders and it’s one which strikes the argument additional away from Grand Theft Auto 6 as a murals and in the direction of one which merely figures it as product. It’s additionally to say nothing of the truth that Netflix continues to have interaction in fairly hostile enterprise practices, repeatedly climbing costs regardless of an ongoing cost-of-living disaster and a scarcity of significant updates that’d make that change in worth acceptable
This isn’t an announcement for the followers, it is one for the shareholders…
I don’t assume Rockstar actually realise the extent to which they’ve offered their soul with this resolution and there’s such a deep-seated irony to it.
One of many best strengths of the Grand Theft Auto sequence is its eager, biting satire. Established in Edinburgh, Rockstar provides us a view of America from the surface trying in — a view America not often will get of itself — highlighting the excesses the remainder of the world sees when it seems in that course. Every part from superstar to trendy consumerism to institutional corruption is honest sport. How then, can you’ve got the sheer brass neck to ship this type of po‑confronted, performative parody whereas partaking within the very practices you’re supposedly skewering?
After we check with a ‘rockstar’ we’re speaking about artists who keep true to their uncooked, rebellious underground ethos. After we check with ‘sellouts’, we’re speaking about those that commerce stylistic integrity for business success, mainstream radio-friendliness, and company wealth. I’ll pay you the praise of realizing which facet of the spectrum I consider Rockstar now falls.
What subsequent?
Throughout Take-Two’s February investor earnings name earlier this yr, the corporate’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick claimed: “I believe you will be fairly astonished by the creativity that Rockstar’s advertising and marketing crew brings to shoppers within the coming months.” Sorry Strauss, I’m not.
I’d go as far as to say that I believe this announcement is dangerous for the {industry} at giant. As an alternative of receiving a trailer this week, we now have to attend an extra three. When the prolonged look drops later this month on the 27th, it’ll be consuming the lunch of a number of video games set to launch shortly thereafter.
Insurgent Wolves’ The Blood of Dawnwalker releases on September 3rd, Insomniac’s Wolverine on September 15th and Treatment’s Management: Resonant on September 22nd, simply to call just a few. Each single one in every of these titles deserves their time within the solar, time which they’re now not getting and time which they thought they’d acquired by shifting launch dates to keep away from the {industry} juggernaut that Grand Theft Auto 6 will little doubt turn out to be.
Like I mentioned, I’m extraordinarily excited for Grand Theft Auto 6. I’ll additionally little doubt watch the prolonged gameplay look when it arrives on YouTube and there’s little doubt in my thoughts that once I play the sport later this yr, I’ll like it.
I assume what I’m saying is: I can’t await the sport to be in my arms (through digital code, so probably not) so I can play it, respect it because the inventive achievement I hope it’s, and — crucially — ignore the corporate that Rockstar has sadly turn out to be.
