Alongside Take-Two’s earnings report, CEO Strauss Zelnick revealed his thoughts on the trailer leak for Rockstar Games’ highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6.
Zelnick said that while it was “disappointing” that the trailer was leaked before Rockstar could officially reveal it to the world, he does not believe it hurt the development team.
“It’s amazing when the trailer announcement is huge news, and then we were very gratified when the trailer broke the internet…so we couldn’t be happier or more excited,” Zelnick explained to IGN ahead of the earnings call. “In terms of the leak, that’s always disappointing for the team, but ultimately, I don’t think it hurt us.”
Grand Theft Auto 6 was one of 2023’s biggest gaming announcements, coming in right at the end of the year. Rockstar planned to reveal the first GTA 6 trailer on December 5, 2023, at 9 am ET. However, that trailer would be leaked on X/Twitter less than 24 hours before its scheduled premiere, leading to Rockstar officially posting the trailer on YouTube early.
As Zelnick alluded, Rockstar developers took to social media to express their frustration at the trailer leaking before its premiere. Nevertheless, the trailer was still a massive hit when it did premiere, breaking MrBeasts’ record for most views on YouTube in 24 hours. One of the game’s playable characters, Lucia, also quickly became a fan favorite, to the point that fans are already modding her into other games.
Grand Theft Auto 6 will be released sometime next year on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For more on GTA 6, check out our roundup of everything we’ve learned about the game so far.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.