How Rockstar hyped people up for GTA V over a decade ago

Grand Theft Auto V launched over a decade ago on Xbox 360 and PS3 in September 2013. Its sequel, Grand Theft Auto 6, is now set to launch this November, and Take-Two’s CEO has said the game’s marketing will kick off this summer. While we wait, here is the timeline of GTA V’s marketing and promotion from announcement to release.

The game was officially announced on October 25, 2011 with a single tweet reading “#GTAV.” A week later Rockstar released the first trailer, narrated by one of the protagonists, that showed beauty shots of Los Santos and the surrounding area but gave no release date.

In 2012 Rockstar dripped out images and screenshots through July and August, then saw a planned November trailer delayed after Hurricane Sandy knocked out power in New York City; that trailer finally arrived on November 14 and used Stevie Wonder’s “Skeletons.” Later that year Rockstar confirmed a leaked release window of “Spring 2013,” began taking pre-orders, and saw a major Game Informer cover story reveal more details.

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