Take-Two Interactive has shed some light on why Rockstar Games is premiering its next Grand Theft Auto 6 preview on Netflix before releasing it elsewhere, saying the streaming service offers both an event-style presentation and access to a significantly broader audience than it would typically be able to target. The unusual arrangement could help amplify GTA 6‘s high-profile launch.
Rockstar announced on August 6 that GTA 6 will receive an extended look on August 27. Netflix subscribers will be able to watch the presentation starting at 3 p.m. EDT, whereas Rockstar will upload it to its YouTube channel exactly six hours later, at 9 p.m. EDT. Both Netflix and Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive described the arrangement as a first-of-its-kind partnership in subsequent statements.
Take-Two Says There Is a Reason Behind the Netflix GTA 6 Agreement
Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier discussed the reasoning behind the Netflix deal in an August 7 video following an interview with Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick. Zelnick declined to disclose the financial terms of the agreement, including even its very basic premise: whether Netflix paid Take-Two or vice versa. However, he was much more talkative when Schreier asked whether the streaming platform offered benefits beyond any monetary arrangement. The executive responded affirmatively, saying there was a rationale behind the decision and suggested it would become clearer once fans watched the temporarily Netflix-exclusive GTA 6 presentation on August 27.
Zelnick also agreed with Schreier’s characterization that the extended look would feel like watching a Netflix show rather than a traditional game preview, though what exactly that means remains to be seen.