Netflix dropped 27 minutes of new “Grand Theft Auto 6″ content Thursday at 3 p.m. ET in a collaboration with Rockstar Games ahead of the highly anticipated title’s November release.
The event, which was first announced earlier this month, comes as Rockstar continues to suffer ongoing “GTA 6” gameplay leaks.
The “Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look” content was captured entirely from in-game footage on PlayStation 5 (the game will be released for PS5 and Xbox Series X and S on Nov. 19), per Netflix and Take-Two Interactive-owned publisher Rockstar. It marks the lengthiest look fans have gotten at “GTA 6” thus far, following two trailers released over the past three years.
The special features “GTA 6” protagonists Jason and Lucia in both cinematic and gameplay scenes throughout the fictional Vice City, and teases the overall narrative of the game.
Per the official description for “GTA 6”: “Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida – forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.”
Netflix says the “GTA 6” “extended look” event represents “the next evolution of storytelling and content” on the streaming platform: “This trailblazing partnership with Rockstar Games elevates games to the center of modern culture — bringing an in-depth look at one of the most anticipated releases in the history of entertainment to Netflix subscribers first.”
Rockstar has stated Netflix will be the exclusive home of the “Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look” special for six hours before the content is released on YouTube and across other platforms at 9 p.m. ET. It seems that exclusivity has had an impact as user error reports for Netflix spiked just prior to the Netflix “GTA 6” reveal, hitting 3,129 at 2:49 p.m. ET, according to service-monitoring website Downdetector.com.
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Several “GTA 6” gameplay videos have been released over the past week by a hacker group calling itself CyberLeek, which claims to have obtained a playable build of the game. The videos have been posted across multiple websites and subsequently removed and continued to appear in new locations.
Rockstar Games — which last week filed subpoenas related to the “GTA 6” leaks — issued its first statement about the situation on Wednesday, just ahead of Netflix’s big gameplay footage debut.
“Dear all,
We know that many of you have been waiting to hear from us regarding the events of the past week. It would be an understatement to say that having videos of Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay leak in this way has been heartbreaking for our team, and this is obviously not how we intended for you to see the game after all this time. We are very sorry that everything has taken as long as it has — from getting the game finished (nearly there!) to sharing more details and official gameplay, and providing the community with everything you want to know.
We are very excited for everyone to see the extended look tomorrow. It has taken longer than we wanted to get it ready, but as with everything we do, we know we need to exceed your expectations, and we are determined to deliver at the level you expect and deserve. While it is unfortunate that the intended game experience may now be impacted by some spoilers, we hope that everyone will wait a bit longer to experience the game for themselves on November 19.
We want to thank everyone in the community who has reached out with messages of support this past week — your words meant more to this team than you can imagine. Ultimately, we are making this game for you, and without you, we would not have the privilege of making games.
We look forward to sharing more with you soon.
Sincerely,
Rockstar Games”
Later Wednesday, Rockstar posted two messages on X noting its preferences regarding how fans go about creating content based on the Netflix event amid the outside leaks, writing: “Once Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look debuts on Netflix, creators can share their reaction content across social and video platforms.”
In a followup, Rockstar added: “Quick clarification: you are free to livestream An Extended Look from 3 p.m. ET on August 27 providing you adhere to platform-specific guidance and you do not simply restream or repost the unedited video in full without context or commentary.”
From Variety US