Dick Justice Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 (edited) A lot of you owe it to yourselves to read this. I will report anyone that posts "tl;dr" or something similar, it's not even a long read. I posted something similar about 100 pages back in the "a few weeks or so..." thread. That thread is so full and moving so quickly that I'm positive that my thoughts didn't reach a lot of you. Using the tags feature on the Newswire, you can see the exact date of when the marketing campaigns for Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire and Max Payne 3 begin. By looking at how Rockstar marketed these games, it gives us an insight as to how Rockstar are marketing GTA V. The reason why I bring this up is simple; it's exactly the same. Each time, the marketing campaign has kicked off with a trailer (which is either the first or second trailer released for that game). Take a look: Red Dead Redemption Marketing began: December 1st, 2009. Release Date: May 18th, 2010. (Originally intended for release in April) Newswire: Red Dead Redemption Official Trailer: "My Name is John Marston" The game had already had a first trailer that was released in early May, 2009. Between that date and the start of the marketing campaign (the second trailer), a couple of screenshots had trickled out over the months but not a lot. It sounds an awfully lot like another game we're all following. My point is, this game, jam packed with as many features as Rockstar have ever put into a non-GTA game, didn't have a long-drawn out marketing campaign; if the game had not been delayed from April to May, it would have had a marketing campaign of only 5 months. L.A. Noire Marketing began: November 12th, 2010. Release Date: May 17th, 2011. Newswire: Watch the First L.A. Noire Trailer L.A. Noire is an interesting one because it was announced way back in 2006 and then went through development hell. It received a longer campaign than Red Dead Redemption simply because it needed it. It was a new IP and a pretty inventive idea for a video game. Rockstar wanted to talk about the new MotionScan tech as much as they possibly could. Simply put, it required a lot more advertising than a game like Red Dead and Grand Theft Auto. Still, it's marketing started in November for a May release. This seems pretty on track with what Rockstar are doing with V. and finally, everyone's favourite... Max Payne 3 Marketing began: September 14th, 2011. Release Date: May 15th, 2012. (Originally intended for release in March) Watch the First Trailer for Max Payne 3 While September is an earlier start than the other two, it's not too early for a game that was originally intended to release in March for a series that hasn't had a title since 2004. As you can see, it's pretty apparent that Rockstar like to start marketing in the Fall for games releasing in the Spring. Grand Theft Auto IV Announced: May 2006 Marketing began: March 2007 Release Date: April 2008 (intended release was October 2007). Going off the intended release date, you can actually see how similar this campaign was to V's. The only big difference between V and IV at this point is that V came with an announcement trailer and IV didn't. People have been quick to say V's marketing has been unfamiliar water for Rockstar, but it's actually very similar to how they've worked most of their recent games. Grand Theft Auto V (Hypothetical) Marketing began: November 1st, 2012. Release Date: March 26th, 2013. Is this doable? Yes. Is it likely? Well, that's harder to say. My point is, Rockstar could easily have a short 4-5 month marketing plan for GTA V, knowing that all they need to do is push it a little and it will sell like hotcakes. I'd say that GTA V's marketing thus far has been almost identical to Red Dead Redemptions. If you disagree, see for yourself at 'Newsire RDR tag' and you can see how news slowly started trickling in until the campaign started with that trailer. People need to chill out. In the words of the great Tommy Vercetti: "Shut up, sit down, relax." Edit: To include GTA IV, which I originally posted on Page 2. Edited October 7, 2012 by man dragon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestfor100Percent Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Sounds good to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomi19 Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 If you're counting the first trailer as "marketing begin" in the other games, you should put November 2nd, 2011 in GTA V.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyfa Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Hell yeah, I'll take it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squishybubs Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 If you're counting the first trailer as "marketing begin" in the other games, you should put November 2nd, 2011 in GTA V.. If you compare what he said under V to what he said under RDR you should be able to establish that he excluded the first trailer dates. He's talking about the big rush; the largely informing announcements regarding release dates, platforms, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IGnoTon Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 GTA V first trailer came out November 2nd, 2011, not 2012. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenDeR Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 GTA V first trailer came out November 2nd, 2011, not 2012. You didn't get it. He is putting hypothetical dates for the beginning of the real marketing. It sounds pretty fair to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Justice Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 If you're counting the first trailer as "marketing begin" in the other games, you should put November 2nd, 2011 in GTA V.. As others have already pointed out, that is not what I was doing. I'm using the trailer that started the marketing campaign, which is not always the first trailer. We haven't received that trailer for GTA V yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackLightning Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 What about past GTAs, though? Although, I guess it wouldn't matter since the marketing team for the latest games is who will be doing the marketing for V. I guess it's just the high anticipation for this game that makes it seem like they're doing things so drastically different this time around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreas Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 That's a good point you've made there! Well, the marketing campaign has all in all the most similarities with the marketing campaign of Red Dead Redemption. Rockstar teased the fans with some screenshots of Red Dead Redemption and after a certain ammount of these screenshots the first trailer was released. Then there was a silence that took about a half year. Then Rockstar teased the fans with some screenshots again, the second trailer was released and this was the start of the actual marketing campaign. GTA V had a trailer and then there was a silence that took more than 8 months. Then the first two screenshots were released, then there was a silence that took another 6 weeks and then a lot new screenshots were released. This is the reason why I think that we shouldn't expect a marketing campaign until the second trailer gets released. If we look at the time when the past games had their correct final release date announcement and if we do not ignore the fact that Rockstar want to avoid a another delay then we shouldn't expect a release date announcement of GTA V more than ~3-5 months before the actual release. If the release is in late March, as I assume, then we can expect a release date announcement between now and December. I would say rather sooner than later. GTAForums Crew Chat Thread - The Sharks Chat Thread - Leone Family Mafia Chat Thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThirstyHyena Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 That's a great point you have and I completely agree with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrizio Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 What about past GTAs, though? Although, I guess it wouldn't matter since the marketing team for the latest games is who will be doing the marketing for V. I guess it's just the high anticipation for this game that makes it seem like they're doing things so drastically different this time around. I think he is implying that things have moved on from previous GTA campaigns and that Rockstar now follow a particular route. @ OP - would it not make sense to predict GTA for May 2013? Either way, as long as we have the marketing campaign (Trailer 2/Magazine Preview) kick off by the end of this year (Novemeber 6th possibly) I'll be happy. I just hope we get something before that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nun0567 Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 This does make sense, after all R* said we should be getting a new trailer soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreas Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 @OP - would it not make sense to predict GTA for May 2013? A lot people here (me included) think that GTA V will be released before March 31st 2013 because of TakeTwo's expectations for this fiscal year. I mean this is not possible... ...without GTA V. If they still expect something similar to this^ in 23 days from today then GTA V release before March 31st is on track. We'll see it. GTAForums Crew Chat Thread - The Sharks Chat Thread - Leone Family Mafia Chat Thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finn 7 five 11 Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 If you're counting the first trailer as "marketing begin" in the other games, you should put November 2nd, 2011 in GTA V.. As others have already pointed out, that is not what I was doing. I'm using the trailer that started the marketing campaign, which is not always the first trailer. We haven't received that trailer for GTA V yet. I see your point, seems quite plausible indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonjack Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 We've waited long enough and its simply annoying just saying. But this sounds...okay for me actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrizio Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 @ Carl CJ Oh don't get me wrong - I'm well are of the March predictions - I just meant that his (man dragon's) work on the basis that marketing ends with a May release for the examples he used. My point of view is - if we see the marketing campaign start Novemeber, even December, and by marketing campaign I mean Trailer 2 or GI preview I'm happy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonp92 Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Was there ever doubt that GTA V would release in spring 2013? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrizio Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 As others have already pointed out, that is not what I was doing. I'm using the trailer that started the marketing campaign, which is not always the first trailer. We haven't received that trailer for GTA V yet. Well said. What I always argue is that Trailer 2 is the MAIN trailer. Trailer 1 is a teaser and by the time Trailer 3 is out the marketing campaign is in full swing. Trailer 2 is the real "meat" of the marketing campaign. Now, my argument about it is that traditionally, GTA Trailer 2 does not come WITHOUT prior fan knowledge of the protagonist and plot, which we currently do not know. This is USUALLY released in the GI preview. So what I would ask is, did LA Noire, RDR or MP3 have a magazine preview BEFORE Trailer 2? The answer to this will give us a good indicator of what and when to expect Trailer 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreas Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Oh don't get me wrong - I'm well are of the March predictions - I just meant that his (man dragon's) work on the basis that marketing ends with a May release for the examples he used. Oh, well, it's because most games this console generation from Rockstar got delayed. GTAForums Crew Chat Thread - The Sharks Chat Thread - Leone Family Mafia Chat Thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emergency_Room Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 I have always felt that when GTA V marketing is ready to go full blast it will be a "smaller" quick campaign and the silence just means it is not time yet. Back in 2004 San Andreas had a rather smaller and quick campaign and look how well that went. The first trailer was done to announce the game, answer a few questions, and also to hint at a few new features. From the trailer we learned that the game is going to be in at least Los Santos, the countryside is returning to some capacity, and also have a good idea at part of the storyline. After that we got a little more info but for the most part it was stuff we already knew or at least suspected. The July screenshots was more of Rockstar's way of saying GTA fans we have not forgot about you. Here are a couple of screens to tide you over. When you look at the screens they really were not that spectacular and were probably from an early version of the game. Also around this time we found out planes were returning. Again, not huge news as it was hinted in the trailer. It seems this time Rockstar wants to primarily use a viral campaign via social media.This is where the Epsilon Twitter and the August Screens come in. Both were used to test the waters to see how well it would work and in both cases it was perfect. The Twitter was found rather quickly and the screens were posted in here before they hit the newswire. I have said for a while that trailer 2 will just appear on Youtube one day out of the blue. I think within the next few weeks we will get trailer 2. When trailer 2 comes out it will include systems and launch date. In fact it makes no sense to not include this considering this is trailer 2 and everyone knows the game is coming out. The release date will be 3-5 months of the trailer. After the trailer there will likely be more info come along . If the trailer comes out this month I suspect that we will finally get our GI cover for January. We still may have a few weeks here and there without info but nothing like the past 11 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeteaFive Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 You're maybe right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Justice Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 What about past GTAs, though? Although, I guess it wouldn't matter since the marketing team for the latest games is who will be doing the marketing for V. I guess it's just the high anticipation for this game that makes it seem like they're doing things so drastically different this time around. The only past GTA you could compare it to is IV. In the years 2001 through 2004, Rockstar North (also known as DMA) released GTA III, Vice City, Manhunt and San Andreas. Obviously, having that quick of a turnaround between games leaves less time for marketing. This isn't the case these days as development time is now much longer. In that sense, it's hard to compare V to any GTA other than IV, which I chose not to do simply because the Newswire wasn't around during that campaign. For you: Grand Theft Auto IV Announced: May 2006 Marketing began: March 2007 Release Date: April 2008 (intended release was October 2007). Going off the intended release date, you can actually see how similar this campaign was to V's. The only big difference between V and IV at this point is that V came with an announcement trailer and IV didn't. People have been quick to say V's marketing has been unfamiliar water for Rockstar, but it's actually very similar to how they've worked most of their recent games. @ OP - would it not make sense to predict GTA for May 2013? Oh, most definitely. The dates I put down were hypothetical only and weren't necessarily predictions. That said, the only one of the three games that was always set to release in May was L.A. Noire, so it's possible for GTA V to release earlier. Given all the trade talk about March, as well as the recent Tesco leaks, I figured I may as well make my "hypothetical" date be in March. May is just as likely in my opinion. In either case, we won't know until we know. I really don't want to turn this into a release date debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kill Frenzy! Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 26th March, Damn it. The day after is my mothers birthday, I will spent my money on her Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uJhatafart00 Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 They are having lots of problem with the "chrome guns" in mp3. Jeez, they are running out of f*cking time, last dlc will come in 2013 @ man dragon : add the GTA IV part in the op. Good job, btw... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kill Frenzy! Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 (edited) #Man Dragon Please, add Grand Theft Auto IV on this marketing campaign thread. To compare IV with V. One question: Who said V marketing starts on 1st November? Edited October 7, 2012 by Smaaske Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosquitoSmasher Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Good thread man. Right now alot of things seem hopeless though, cause compared to all the other Rockstar games, by the time the marketing had begun, we already had more screenshots,more info and more everything compared to GTA V. This silence is highly unusual and even a bit worrysome(to me that is...can't speak for others). But anything can happen. If marketing really starts off in November though, i'm....we all here are gonna be happy campers. If that's the case, i think the conference on Oct 30 will give some clarity on things too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Justice Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 #Man Dragon Please, add Grand Theft Auto IV on this marketing campaign thread. To compare IV with V. One question: Who said V marketing starts on 1st November? Done. And it's a hypothetical date. I pulled it out of thin air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kill Frenzy! Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 #Man Dragon Please, add Grand Theft Auto IV on this marketing campaign thread. To compare IV with V. One question: Who said V marketing starts on 1st November? Done. And it's a hypothetical date. I pulled it out of thin air. Well, doesn´t really bother me the hypothetical stuff, nice work! I will stay in touch on this thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosquitoSmasher Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Yeah, it's not a real confirmed date yet, but i know what you mean. And really, even though Rockstar on Newswire says they have nothing to say...come on now. Sooner rather than later they are gonna have to begin with some marketing, that game can't stay "TBA' forever, has to come out somewhere 2013. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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