When Netflix announced a partnership with Rockstar for a special look at Grand Theft Auto 6, it left many video game enthusiasts scratching their heads. The idea was novel, but there would only be a six-hour window of exclusivity before Rockstar put the entire preview on YouTube.
Well, the promotional gambit seems to have worked.
The GTA 6 Extended Look sped to the top of Netflix’s top-10 movie list, where the 26-minute showcase was listed as a film rather than a one-off TV episode. It has blown by former feature-length Nos. 1 The Last House, To Catch a Cheater and Facing El Chapo.
It’s not just the game showcase’s ranking that’s impressive. Analytics firm Sensor Tower (via IGN) compared its viewership to Netflix’s previous Thursday audiences and found mobile usage was up 50% and web visitors increased a stunning 125%. Interest in the special briefly crashed Netflix during the premiere window, but it was quickly resolved.
The early look at the game was pure gameplay footage, no commentary or interviews by Rockstar developers and no explanations of the content and systems. That was all saved for dozens of interviews and stories across multiple media outlets after the preview.
It was a draw for audiences to be able to watch it easily on TV, where the 4K footage looked absolutely gorgeous, and 50-times better than the recent leaks spread on the internet. It was also a proud moment for Sony, as the footage was rendered on a base PS5, not the more powerful PS5 Pro, and it still looked so impressive.
The footage went online six hours after it appeared on Netflix, as promised, and the YouTube video had 6.7 million views by Thursday morning. There is no word on how many subscribers Netflix may have grabbed just to watch this preview — no doubt something the streamer’s executives had hoped for when the deal was made.
It is a little bit hard to imagine how this method might work to promote other projects. Obviously, Netflix is not doing this for non-native TV or movies: no big Avengers: Doomsday preview event. And there is simply no other video game that would come close to grabbing this level of attention outside of Grand Theft Auto 6. Name a big franchise — Halo, God of War, Call of Duty — that’s remotely close to the same tier. This may be a one-off experiment, even if Netflix is treading into bold new territory.
Feedback for the GTA 6 Extended Look has been overwhelmingly positive, raising expectations for the game, especially with its visuals and NPC realism. The public reaction is no doubt exactly the kind of boost Rockstar wanted to see after a brutal week of leaks, which seems to have ceased, for the time being. Really, all advertising could end and GTA 6 would still likely make billions of dollars at launch.
Watch the footage and try not to be impressed.
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