With Grand Theft Auto 6 finally launching on November 19, you’d think Rockstar Games would be making sure everyone and their grandma knows about it. After all, the company reportedly has at least $150 million to spend on marketing GTA 6, its long-awaited blockbuster. Yet, with just a few weeks left before release, some fans are scratching their heads over the surprisingly “subdued” promotional campaign.
As reported by The Miamian, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Rene Garcia brought up the figure during a meeting discussing Rockstar’s advertising plans across Miami. “I had done some research, and at least a minimum of $150 million, [Rockstar is] spending on marketing,” Garcia claimed. Rockstar and its parent company, Take-Two, have not commented on or confirmed the figure.
In Miami itself, Rockstar has reportedly already secured several advertising deals to bring Vice City to the area. These include a $975,000 agreement for a massive ‘Welcome to Vice City’ rooftop sign at Kaseya Center, six banners worth potentially $1.2 million, and beachfront advertising worth up to $4 million at Miami Beach.
Despite these efforts, however, some fans feel Rockstar’s marketing has been rather lacking for one of the year’s biggest releases. The months of radio silence between just three trailers across three whole years haven’t helped, either. On social media, gamers are now questioning why they’ve barely seen much GTA 6 promos and ads, especially with the release date fast approaching.
“Bro, what marketing? The only thing we have gotten so far was a time bound exclusive deal on Netflix,” complained one user on Reddit. Another wondered whether they missed the campaign: “Has it already started? I have not seen a single ad for GTAVI myself but maybe they just aren’t targeting me because they know I’m gonna buy it lol.” Others questioned Rockstar’s focus on Miami. “Are they launching the game to people in Miami only?” asked one user, adding that their gamer friends were also unaware of its November release.
Some fans also contrasted GTA 6‘s pre-launch presence to its predecessor, which analysts estimate had a $265 million marketing budget. “GTA V‘s marketing blitz kicked off like 6 months prior to launch with the awesome ad with Stevie Wonder’s ‘Skeletons‘ and it legit felt like the game was everywhere,” wrote one Reddit user. “It’s the biggest most expensive game in history and it feels like they’re outsourcing 90% of the marketing to wannabe content creators.”
What’s more, apparently Miami-Dade officials aren’t particularly happy with Rockstar’s advertising plans either. Commissioner Garcia criticized the idea of promoting a game that depicts Miami as a ‘crime haven’ and ‘murder capital.’ “I feel really uncomfortable with this whole thing,” he said during the meeting.
Still, the numbers only cover Miami, as some players said they have spotted the game’s ads all over other places like Paris. The ‘lack of effort’ works just fine too, as Take-Two announced that the game’s preorder reach ‘unprecedented levels.’ Apparently, the marketing budget for GTA 6 hasn’t gone missing — you just have to live in the right city.
