GTA VITrailers
GTA VI's first TV commercial leaves out Xbox
A re-cut of the GTA VI launch trailer has aired on NBC Sports as the game's first TV ad. The Xbox logo is gone, and IGN and GameSpot disagree on which version drops the shower scenes.
Grand Theft Auto VI has its first television commercial. IGN reports that a 90-second spot was seen on NBC Sports, and that it is mostly a re-edit of the launch trailer Rockstar released last week. What stands out is something it leaves out: the ad doesn't mention Xbox anywhere.
Fans on X spotted the changes first. On October 21, the accounts @mnm345x and @GTAVI_Countdown posted about the edits, and @GTAVI_Countdown noted that the Xbox logo had been removed entirely. GameSpot confirms the logo is missing. That is a notable omission for a game that launches on PS5 and both Xbox Series consoles.
Neither outlet has an official explanation, and Rockstar hasn't commented. IGN reads it as more evidence of the marketing partnership between Sony and Rockstar. GameSpot puts it down, "presumably", to Rockstar's reported promotional deal with Sony. So far, that is the outlets' interpretation.
IGN also points out that the pattern isn't new. The official trailers and the extended gameplay look used footage captured on PS5, and the marketing calls PS5 "the best place to play". Xbox CSO Matthew Ball said earlier that Microsoft was "very happy" with preorders, after The Verge's Tom Warren reported that they were "heavily skewed" toward PS5. GameSpot, for its part, reports that preorders are pacing ahead of any big AAA game from the past five years.
The shower scenes: reports differ
The two outlets don't agree on the edit itself. According to IGN, the 90-second spot cuts all three shower kissing scenes from the launch trailer, so some other shots run a little longer to fill the gap. GameSpot says it is the 30-second version that drops the shower scenes, while the 90-second cut keeps them.
Both agree that the longer version has a few extended sequences. IGN lists a longer plane shot and a slightly longer shot of Jason and Lucia leaning on a car, in which Lucia nearly falls over when Jason nudges her. Network television now gets a few extra frames of that.
Burgers in Miami
The TV spot is part of a wider push. IGN mentions GTA VI Burger Shot restaurants at Miami's Kaseya Center and GTA-branded sports cars driving around the city with camera crews. GameSpot adds that real-life Burger Shot and Cluckin' Bell locations are selling GTA-branded food.
