When Netflix announced a partnership with Rockstar for a special look at Grand Theft Auto 6 footage, it left many scratching their heads. The idea was novel, but there would only be a six-hour window of exclusivity before Rockstar put the entire thing on YouTube.
Well, it seems to have worked out well for all parties involved.
As of today, The GTA 6 Extended Look is planted at #1 on Netflix’s top 10 movie list, the 26-minute showcase listed as a film rather than a one-off TV episode. It has blown by former #1s like The Last House, To Catch a Cheater and Facing El Chapo, despite being only a fraction as long.
But it’s not just the showcase’s list placement that’s impressive. Analytics firm Sensor Tower (via IGN) compared it to Netflix’s audience on other Thursdays and found that mobile usage was up 50% and web visitors saw a stunning 125% increase. Interest in the special briefly crashed Netflix during the premiere window, but it was quickly resolved.
The 26-minute look was nothing but pure gameplay footage, no commentary or interviews by Rockstar developers or explanations of the content or systems. That was all saved for dozens of interviews and stories across multiple media outlets after the fact. While that data is for mobile and PC, a draw was also being able to watch it easily on TV, where the 4K footage looked absolutely gorgeous, 50x better than the recent string of leaks that have been released. It was also a proud moment for Sony, as the footage was rendered on a base PS5, not the more powerful PS5 Pro, and it still looked so incredible it was almost hard to believe.
The footage went online six hours later as promised, and the YouTube video has 6.7 million views so far. There is no word on how many subscribers Netflix may have grabbed just to watch this, which was no doubt a hope when the deal was made.
It is a little bit hard to imagine how this might work to promote other projects. Obviously, Netflix is not doing this for non-native TV or movies. No big Avengers: Doomsday preview event, obviously. And there is simply no other video game that would even come close to grabbing this level of attention outside of Grand Theft Auto 6. Name a big franchise, Halo, God of War, Call of Duty, and it’s not remotely the same tier. So this may be a one-off experiment even if Netflix thinks it’s treading into bold new territory.
Feedback for the GTA 6 Extended Look has been overwhelmingly positive, with even high expectations for the game being surpassed, especially with its visuals and NPC realism. It is no doubt exactly the kind of boost Rockstar wanted to see after a brutal week of leaks (which, as of now, seem to have ceased), though, really, all advertising could end today and GTA 6 would still make billions at launch. Watch the footage and try not to be impressed.
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