Zelnick explains why GTA VI still gets a marketing campaign
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told GamesBeat Insider today that awareness and enthusiasm are two different things, which is why Grand Theft Auto VI is still being marketed heavily.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick used his appearance at GamesBeat Insider in New York today to answer a question he says investors keep asking: if everyone already knows about Grand Theft Auto VI, why spend money marketing it?
He put the investor version of the question this way: "Obviously everyone's heard of Grand Theft Auto VI. So why are you wasting money on marketing?"
His answer, as reported by GamesRadar+ and GTAVice.net, both citing GamesBeat, is that knowing a game exists is not the same as wanting it.
"I think in launching broad-based entertainment properties, you don't have a choice. You always have to go out and create enthusiasm. So, awareness is one thing; enthusiasm is another thing."
The aim, he said, is the same for this launch as for any other title: turn awareness into excitement, and turn a lack of awareness into awareness.
Lessons from film
Zelnick drew on his years in the movie business. Marketing cannot save a weak product, in his view: "if the thing is no good, you can market the living shit out of it, and people will still not notice the marketing." He added that bad marketing can put people off, while good marketing builds more excitement.
His example of a famous brand that still got a big push was the Barbie film. "They marketed the living daylights out of Barbie," he said. Take-Two's CEO apparently has a fondness for that particular turn of phrase.
On creators and streamers, Zelnick described their role as "amplifying word of mouth". He said you cannot pay anyone to call something terrible good, because if they did, "They lose their own audience."
The Extended Look
Zelnick also spoke about the 27-minute GTA VI: An Extended Look. "What Rockstar did was incredible, but there was an element of tutorial baked in there," he said, adding that Rockstar managed to entertain viewers for 27 minutes "while also explaining to us how you're going to play the game."
The video premiered on Netflix with a six-hour exclusive window before going wider. Of the partnership, Zelnick said: "I think this was good for everyone involved." According to GamesRadar+, it drew 31.1 million views on Netflix in its first four days and has 27 million views on YouTube.
GamesBeat says the full video of the conversation will be released on September 21.
