Interesting article

[CookPassBabtridge]

Adriaan Im sure the shareholders would have known about the window for V for a good while. Plus, it hasnt changed. Max Payne was piggy-backed on V, starting with the trailer, and then the crew info. All eyes on newswire, but only until theyd salvaged whatever they could from Max P sales. Thats why no V news around that whole period

[jamieleng]

@MosquitoSmasher

 

I'm not at all surprised that R*'s marketing of GTA is at odds with the current trend of showing as much of the game as possible prior to release. That sort of marketing has ruined the mystique of games, as it has done with movies (it's even worse with movies). The day they start acting the same as other developers with mega franchises (Assassin's Creed, CoD, Battlefield etc.) is the day I'll stop defending them. Until then, they can release a GTA every 6 years & not tell me anything about it for 90% of that time & I'll lap it up at full price every time. I do expect a new RDR in between GTA's now however.

 

Is being a R* apologist fanboy bad? Maybe. It's the only company I feel that way about.

[Adriaan]

 

Adriaan Im sure the shareholders would have known about the window for V for a good while.

Take-Two is a public company, you know that, right? Anyone can become a shareholder. There are stated shareholders of Take-Two on this forum.

 

Any info given to shareholders needs to be reported in a public manner, and not through private channels. It is clear now you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Because what you are alluding to is insider trading and clear SEC violations - which would no doubt spark indictments into employees at either Take-Two or Rockstar Games that have given inside info to shareholders of the company.

[Starz]

Thanks for sharing, interesting read.

[CookPassBabtridge]

Adriaan Im sure the shareholders would have known about the window for V for a good while.

Take-Two is a public company, you know that, right? Anyone can become a shareholder. There are stated shareholders of Take-Two on this forum.

 

Any info given to shareholders needs to be reported in a public manner, and not through private channels. It is clear now you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Because what you are alluding to is insider trading and clear SEC violations - which would no doubt spark indictments into employees at either Take-Two or Rockstar Games that have given inside info to shareholders of the company.

Im not talking as far as insider trading, more like most sensible shareholders would expect another GTA within 5 years after the last. Do you not agree?

[r34ld34l]

If at September we don't have the release date, 2012 isn't possible anymore.

Of course not, end of world is @ 21.12.2012

[jamieleng]

Adriaan Im sure the shareholders would have known about the window for V for a good while.

Take-Two is a public company, you know that, right? Anyone can become a shareholder. There are stated shareholders of Take-Two on this forum.

 

Any info given to shareholders needs to be reported in a public manner, and not through private channels. It is clear now you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Because what you are alluding to is insider trading and clear SEC violations - which would no doubt spark indictments into employees at either Take-Two or Rockstar Games that have given inside info to shareholders of the company.

Im not talking as far as insider trading, more like most sensible shareholders would expect another GTA within 5 years after the last. Do you not agree?

How many years on the trot has Michael "cloudy crystal ball" Pachter incorrectly predicted the release of GTA V? I don't think anyone predicted it would be this long, but it's not like R* as a whole hasn't given us other quality games this gen.

[Adriaan]

@CookPassBabtridge

Five years is pretty broad. As is evidenced by the roller coaster nature of Take-Two's share price and markets, investors and traders buy and sell the whole time.

 

You were alluding to the short term when you said the reasoning for GTAV's first trailer's timed release was to prevent a drop in share price following Max Payne 3's delay 2 months later. My question to you was that, if what you say is true, that Take-Two and Rockstar keep the short term rises and falls of the share price in mind when deciding game asset releases, don't you think they would have done something similar to fight against the drastic drop of their share price the past year? If you go to financial forums, the reasoning for low confidence is quite clear in that there is uncertainty in GTAV's release date in that it hasn't been announced yet.

 

The fact that Take-Two didn't give a more clearer release date sort of goes against your unfounded claim that they released the GTAV Trailer to prevent a fall in share price - because it has fallen quite a lot, and they didn't pull a "stunt" yet like releasing a trailer as you said.

Edited September 8, 2012 by Adriaan

[DuncanOfFlorance]

Discussed a lot these days, but I think the silence of information is great for me. It doesn't work for new franchises, because I want to know what's possible in the game, but with a franchise like GTA, I just know it'll be great. I don't need information to know that and I hope it'll give me the fresh feeling of discovering stuff possible in the game. To be honest, I kind of had that with IV. Unlike some of you here, I didn't follow the marketing of that game, because I didn't have a PS3 yet. I got the game for a cheap price from somewhere when I finally bought my PS3 around 2009 and I didn't know a lot about the game, but it was amazing.

[JohnnyBNL]

Interesting article yes!

[RodneyIsBack]

Either way, like Adriaan stated if March 2013 being latest V releases we are 7-6 months away. So marketing has to start soon, unless they ARE taking a different approach this time.

[MosquitoSmasher]

@CookPassBabtridge

The differential in Take-Two's share price had there not been a GTAV trailer in November the preceding year would not have changed anything as far as their profits are concerned that fiscal year. Again, I ask, if you think somehow they are always so concerned about their share price don't you think they would have performed more actions to instill more confidence in shareholders following the drastic drop the past year? Like, I dunno, being more open about GTAV's release date. If what you say is true then I certainly think they would have given some sort of rough estimate on the release date like "this fiscal year" instead of not saying anything at all - causing low confidence as is evidenced by the drop in share price.

 

@deffpony

Yeah, I definitely understand the frustration which came about following that big period of silence - when we are so used to having info soon after a first GTA trailer.

The thing is though...we didn't really get much info, if at all after the IV debut trailer soon. It took almost a year or more for a real update to arrive So in that sense, we can't even complain. But for some reason we do, even though not much has changed. Some people even said Rockstar may have been running into problems and what not awhile ago...but i don't think anyone thought that when we were all waiting for GTA IV.

[Shoumaker]

Haha, I enjoyed reading that!

[Adriaan]

 

The thing is though...we didn't really get much info, if at all after the IV debut trailer soon. It took almost a year or more for a real update to arrive

Hhmm... the first previews on GTAIV came out in the month after the first trailer. Check the archives: http://www.gta4.net/news/archive.php?month=4&year=2007

 

... and the 2nd trailer was 3 months later

[bowling...?]

R* is aiming to those casual gamers,who will buy gta game and only spend 1-2days playing it and threw it away.

Those people should be pistol whipped. Mmmm Pistol Whip

*img macro removed*

I'm pretty sure a casual gamer wouldn't just play it for 1-2 days. All my little cousin use to play was super Mario. When he played gta for the first time he loved it. He said gta was his favorite game.

[lefantome]

I think it's wrong.

 

We produce most of the content in the following days after the release of the material, then it's all about trolling, fake, flooding: there is nothing left to say.

When they release something the forum explodes. I didn't logged for months after the announcement, I came back regurarly only with E3 and during summer afternoons.

 

People weren't talking about GTA V from january to may, R* was all about MP3. In the meantime Ubisoft released a lot of content about AC3 in less months, people are hyped and the game will be out this october selling a sh*tload.

[MosquitoSmasher]

The thing is though...we didn't really get much info, if at all after the IV debut trailer soon. It took almost a year or more for a real update to arrive

Hhmm... the first previews on GTAIV came out in the month after the first trailer. Check the archives: http://www.gta4.net/news/archive.php?month=4&year=2007

 

... and the 2nd trailer was 3 months later

Oooh sh*t, my bad. I mixed things up. I meant after the the announcement of IV . I mixed them up, because IV was announced without a trailer, and V was announced with a trailer right away. But after IV's announcements there weren't previews for a year.

[Adriaan]

No worries. I know you are not that dumb

[MosquitoSmasher]

No worries. I know you are not that dumb

But in that sense it's really not that different from GTA IV. But somehow it feels different, but we are probably just impatient.

[Adriaan]

Yes I think the reasoning it feels different of course is that it was spread out. There's a big gap.

 

Had they followed a similar schedule like with previous games, and only released the first trailer a month ago, we'd feel much more satiated now. But that gap gave an impression of "in 9 months we've only got 12 screenshots".

[EncryptedReality]

Good article, but Rockstar can't keep on giving us misleading pictures with names forever. Sometime we will get our release and platforms information bundled together, and to be honest i think October, November and December will be the epicenter of V marketing. That's just my opinion

Edited September 8, 2012 by GTARandom

[Zee]

whether R* is silient or loudly promote GTA5, we-----people here,hardcore gta fans!!! will still buy it.

so ,this silience of marketing is not target to us

 

R* is aiming to those casual gamers,who will buy gta game and only spend 1-2days playing it and threw it away.

 

yesterday,there are 500 people waiting for a cover.I don't think this silence stretagy is meant to them

Wow, a whole 500 people? Thats simply amazing, mate!

 

Oh wait, it isnt at all, and that many people see a game at e3 each year alone.

 

The GTA5 marketing campeign was an awful idea.

 

We learned from Hot Coffee thst sometimes the Housers dream up incredibly stupid ideas and hold to them like rabid dogs, refusing to accept that its a stupid idea.

[jamieleng]

whether R* is silient or loudly promote GTA5, we-----people here,hardcore gta fans!!!  will still buy it.

so ,this silience of marketing is not target to us

 

R* is aiming to those casual gamers,who will buy gta game and only spend 1-2days playing it and threw it away.

 

yesterday,there are 500 people waiting for a cover.I don't think  this silence stretagy is  meant to them

Wow, a whole 500 people? Thats simply amazing, mate!

 

Oh wait, it isnt at all, and that many people see a game at e3 each year alone.

 

The GTA5 marketing campeign was an awful idea.

 

We learned from Hot Coffee thst sometimes the Housers dream up incredibly stupid ideas and hold to them like rabid dogs, refusing to accept that its a stupid idea.

Zebedee, what platform won't you be buying GTA V for?

[Adriaan]

We learned from Hot Coffee thst sometimes the Housers dream up incredibly stupid ideas and hold to them like rabid dogs, refusing to accept that its a stupid idea.

I think pushing the limits of a medium and challenging the status quo of America's conservative views towards nudity within games is not really a stupid idea. Think of how far they've come, as is evidenced by sexual nudity in Red Dead and full frontal male nudity in GTAIV.

 

What I will say is a stupid idea though is that of yours when you traveled to their NYC headquarters to make a rather alarming video. Even Charles Manson was like "man, this guy's insane".

[jamieleng]

We learned from Hot Coffee thst sometimes the Housers dream up incredibly stupid ideas and hold to them like rabid dogs, refusing to accept that its a stupid idea.

I think pushing the limits of a medium and challenging the status quo of America's conservative views towards nudity within games is not really a stupid idea. Think of how far they've come, as is evidenced by sexual nudity in Red Dead and full frontal male nudity in GTAIV.

 

What I will say is a stupid idea though is that of yours when you traveled to their NYC headquarters to make a rather alarming video. Even Charles Manson was like "man, this guy's insane".

Where's Niko with an RPG when you need him.

[KFranchise]

I remain unconvinced there is any particular strategy or secret hype weapon at work here. The MP3 thing was surely responsible for the lack of info for a good chunk of the time we waited, and it probably resulted in the disjointed info release we are seeing now. Even the Epsilon thing, which granted isnt a big deal, seems to have run of steam quick, and didnt gain many followers.

 

EDIT: Agree with Saintsrow - something went massively tits up with this whole thing, and people are coming out the woodwork saying its some wonderful new marketing system.

How was Max Payne 3 provoking GTA V info, when Max Payne 3 was annouced and had a trailer first? Jeff Lapin, CEO of TT confirmed Max Payne 3 FOR THE FIRST TIME back in 2004, that was 8 years ago, 7 months before GTA San Andreas came out.

 

Max Payne 3 First Trailer: Sept 15 2011

GTA V: November 2011.

Blaming Max Payne 3 for lack of GTA V info is blasphemy. You think Max Payne fans blamed San Andreas, IV, Midnight Club, Bully, RDR and LA Noire for the 7 year info drought Max Payne 3 had?

[Adriaan]

@KFranchise

Haha, well put.

[dinoSAUR230]

Well the current point in the strategy is to make people think the game will come out in 2013, therefore pushing up sales of Max Payne 3. Great strategy IMO and I applaud Rockstar for that

[CookPassBabtridge]

I remain unconvinced there is any particular strategy or secret hype weapon at work here. The MP3 thing was surely responsible for the lack of info for a good chunk of the time we waited, and it probably resulted in the disjointed info release we are seeing now. Even the Epsilon thing, which granted isnt a big deal, seems to have run of steam quick, and didnt gain many followers.

 

EDIT: Agree with Saintsrow - something went massively tits up with this whole thing, and people are coming out the woodwork saying its some wonderful new marketing system.

How was Max Payne 3 provoking GTA V info, when Max Payne 3 was annouced and had a trailer first? Jeff Lapin, CEO of TT confirmed Max Payne 3 FOR THE FIRST TIME back in 2004, that was 8 years ago, 7 months before GTA San Andreas came out.

 

Max Payne 3 First Trailer: Sept 15 2011

GTA V: November 2011.

Blaming Max Payne 3 for lack of GTA V info is blasphemy. You think Max Payne fans blamed San Andreas, IV, Midnight Club, Bully, RDR and LA Noire for the 7 year info drought Max Payne 3 had?

How was it preventing info I think you meant...simple, they knew they couldnt risk overshadowing MP with V info. It was always a shaky proposition sales-wise.

 

As for the 7 year drought, that's a different situation. Payne got stuck in development hell for that period. Hence why it was a non-starter and was handled the way it was.

 

If people like to think the V info drought was just them being 'cool' and inventive, so be it. Pretty obvious to others what happened...

[Exkabewbikadid]

I really think people are over-complicating Rockstar's strategy with theories on financial motives, MP3 sales, etc. Personally, I think the only reason a trailer for V was released so early was merely to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of III, simple as that. It's not some sort of bold, new marketing strategy either. The main difference between IV and V is that IV didn't show a trailer until a year after the announcement and V a week after it's announcement. They didn't drop a release date upon announcement this time either because they didn't want to miss it again.

 

However, I do believe that showing the trailer so early backfired on Rockstar, hence the dozen screens to cushion the self-inflicted blow everyone brought on themselves by assuming that the trailer must mean the marketing was in full swing.

 

I believe we'll see a solid six months of marketing with ads, two more trailers and a slew of previews like last time. And no, I don't think any of that will spoil the game. They'd have to show excessive gameplay footage to really spoil it and that's something they don't show with GTA anyways.