Ex-Rockstar Dev: No More GTA 6 Trailers Needed Due to High Hype

As the anticipation continues to build for more news on Grand Theft Auto 6 following the release of Trailer 1 in 2023, former Rockstar developer Obbe Vermeij has suggested that he wouldn't release any further trailers before the game's launch.

Rockstar released GTA 6 Trailer 1 to record-breaking viewership in December 2023, yet no additional assets have been shared since. This prolonged silence has sparked a flurry of wild conspiracy theories about the release of GTA 6 Trailer 2, ranging from counting the holes in Lucia’s cell door net and bullet holes in the car from Trailer 1 to analyzing registration plates. The most notable theory, the GTA 6 moon watch, successfully predicted the announcement date of Trailer 1, though it was debunked as a hint at the release date for Trailer 2.

The burning question remains: when will GTA 6 Trailer 2 be released? Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick hinted that fans might have to wait until closer to the game's current fall 2025 release date for another glimpse at this highly anticipated title.

However, Vermeij, who served as Rockstar's technical director until his departure in 2008, shared on social media that if it were his decision, he would not release any more trailers. "If it was my call I wouldn’t release any additional trailers," he tweeted. "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 query about whether Rockstar might simply announce the release date without further trailers, Vermeij called it "a boss move."

Despite this, the naming of the first trailer as "GTA 6 Trailer 1" implies that more numbered trailers are planned. However, Vermeij's insights suggest that Rockstar might prioritize finalizing the game over releasing another trailer that would be intensely scrutinized.

Vermeij also recounted how Rockstar delayed GTA 4 in July 2007, just three months before its intended October 16 release, hinting that a similar "decision day" might be looming for GTA 6. "Only at that time did it become clear we were going to miss the deadline," he explained. "I’m guessing decision-day for VI will be similar. Fingers crossed for Take2’s August earnings report."

99 Details in the GTA 6 Trailer - Slideshow

View 51 ImagesIn a March interview with Bloomberg, Zelnick addressed the secrecy surrounding GTA 6's release date: "The anticipation for that title may be the greatest anticipation I’ve ever seen for an entertainment property," he said. "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 contributed to GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, suggested on his YouTube channel that Rockstar is intentionally fueling these conspiracy theories. "They're reaching and pulling and trying to come up with these really cool theories to decipher when the next trailer will be," he said. "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."

Will You Continue to Play GTA Online When GTA 6 Comes Out? ----------------------------------------------------------

Yes! I'm happy with the original GTA OnlineNo! Time to move on to whatever's nextIt depends (tell us why in the comments!)

AnswerSee ResultsYork further noted that Rockstar's silence is a deliberate marketing strategy to keep fans engaged and speculating. "They could easily release the trailer date and be like, ‘Hey this is when the trailer's coming out,’ but they don't do it. And they don't do it on purpose because it's a really, really good marketing tactic. If you think about it, it creates these really cool theories."

"This brings the fans together. This is a really cool way to get fans to talk about your game when you’re not releasing anything yet, in-between the times."

"All these theories are great. They only create hype, they create talk, they create mystery behind the games."

Zelnick's comments also indicate that GTA 6 Trailer 2, if it exists, might not be released until we're much closer to the game's expected fall 2025 release date, assuming no further delays. This means fans may have a long wait before getting another glimpse of the game.

While you wait for GTA 6, you can explore IGN's coverage of a former Rockstar developer who believes the studio might not decide on a delay until May 2025, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick's thoughts on the future of GTA Online post-GTA 6, and expert opinions on whether the PS5 Pro will run GTA 6 at 60 frames per second.