Almost a day after Rockstar Games finally released the highly anticipated first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI on YouTube, the publisher has also uploaded it to X/Twitter after a fair amount of drama.
It’s worth noting that Rockstar went through 24 hours of hell, initially planning to unveil the first GTA 6 trailer early on Tuesday. But it was leaked on Monday afternoon (something the developers clearly didn’t appreciate), prompting the team to release the trailer on YouTube shortly after.
Despite the context of all the hype, X/Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino still chimed in to publicly ask Rockstar to post the trailer on that social media platform. “@RockstarGames – Gaming is one of our most popular topics,” she wrote. “Drop this trailer here – give the people at @X what they want!!”
.@rock games Games are one of our most popular topics. Drop this trailer here – give people a chance @X What do they want!! https://t.co/sU3hHk9pgQ
– Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) December 5, 2023
Her plea was accompanied by a post comparing views of the trailer on YouTube to views of Rockstar’s X/Twitter post announcing the trailer’s completion. This information, as the community note pointed out, is misleading, as views on X/Twitter are counted by scrolling rather than actual engagement, rather than YouTube views. In short, this is the difference between scrolling through a post on your timeline versus spending time watching the entire trailer.
Furthermore, many X/Twitter users reported being unable to see Rockstar’s trailer post when viewing a reply to it. This led to some speculation that X/Twitter was intentionally limiting the trailer’s reach.
Twitter is restricting the reach of a Rockstar Games GTA Vi trailer post with a YouTube link. Although you can see it live, you can’t see it if you’re watching a reply. This appears to be retaliation for not posting the video trailer on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/FtS6iu2Lk1
– Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) December 5, 2023
And while it may not be related all of thisbut it seems pertinent to note that X/Twitter owner Elon Musk made quite a few jokes after saying he wasn’t a fan of GTA because he “didn’t like committing crime”: “GTA5 required shooting police officers in the opening scene,” he added. “I just can’t do it.”
It’s unclear if Rockstar had always planned to post the trailer on X/Twitter – especially considering that many companies have stopped placing ads and toned down their presence on the platform completely after Elon Musk. She supported the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory – Or if the leak ruins their plans. Regardless, Rockstar revealed the trailer on X/Twitter with the caption, “Hello @X, watch the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI.”
Welcome @XWatch the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 pic.twitter.com/smzxOLhh4o
– Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) December 5, 2023
It’s just the latest news in the whirlwind that has been taking the internet by storm since the GTA 6 trailer dropped, which has quickly surpassed trailer views for reveal trailers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Cyberpunk 2077. sum. It currently has 88 million views Youtubealthough I’m pretty sure that number will get outdated quickly enough.
Meanwhile, fans have been desperately searching for any theories they can find, becoming obsessed with protagonist Lucia, and finding a number of references to real-life events. And if you haven’t watched it enough times, you can watch it again below.
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Alex Stedman is a senior news editor at IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
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