We live in a weird world, don’t we, and yet somehow it just keeps getting odder because I have to write this sentence: the first-look at proper GTA 6 gameplay will premiere on….Netflix.
Yes, you read that correctly. Rockstar and Netflix have announced that on August 27 an “extended look” of the game will premiere first on Netflix.
It doesn’t say we will get to see actual gameplay, but I’m going to say it’s a reasonable bet that some actual in-game action will be shown, even if it’s just a few seconds at a time. I’m hoping for something more substantial, though.
If you can’t be bothered signing up to Netflix – which is perfectly understandable – then fear not because the video will appear 6 hours later on Youtube and the official Grand Theft Auto website. So basically, Netflix is getting 6 hours of early access.
The unusual arrangement also comes as Netflix continues trying to establish itself as a serious gaming platform rather than merely a home for films and television. The company recently began rolling out cloud-streamed party games including Tetris, Pictionary and Lego Party directly through its television app, allowing subscribers to use their phones as controllers. It has also partnered with FIFA on a new football simulation game, while June’s FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition became one of Netflix’s most successful cloud-game launches to date. Giving Netflix a six-hour exclusive window for one of gaming’s biggest reveals therefore feels like another attempt to convince millions of subscribers that the service is also somewhere gaming happens.