Showing the GTA VI trailer at The Game Awards is dumb

Last Wednesday, Rockstar confirmed they'll give us the first trailer for "the next Grand Theft Auto" in early December. This obviously set the entire internet on fire. Not just because people are extremely hyped about finally seeing official footage of GTA VI in high resolution and getting confirmation that the game is set in the Vice City area. Forums around the world started filling up with speculations about exactly when we'll see it. One popular theory is during Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards show on the 7th of December (the 8th of December for most of us here in Europe) because his productions have become known for having some of the biggest reveals every year. I think that would be a big mistake. Let me tell you why.

Celebrate the amazing year we've had
The show is still called The Game Awards, and Keighley keeps on reiterating that its main purpose is to celebrate the games we've played the last 12 months. That has obviously not stopped him from revealing Death Stranding 2, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, Hades II, Alan Wake 2, the Xbox Series X and a lot more through the years, but showing off GTA VI would take it to another level.

It wouldn't matter if it was at the start, middle or end of the show. Having the GTA VI trailer at The Game Awards would take the spotlight away from every single other thing there - whether it's awards or other trailers. Every single outlet would focus on writing about Grand Theft Auto VI and studying the trailer, while millions of people left the stream to share their thoughts on social media or whatever it might be. Did Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate III or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom win game of the year? Few would know. The reveal of God of War: Ragnarök's expansion would end up at the bottom of your news feed. We'd quickly forget about the new moron that tried to come on stage to yell something about GTA or politics. Okay, that last part would be great, but you get my point.

GTA VI would simply overshadow anything else at the show. This would also lead many developers and publishers to question whether or not it's worth spending so much time and money to be at future The Game Awards shows. Speaking about spending time and money...

Rockstar doesn't need The Game Awards
Grand Theft Auto V keeps on selling approximately 5 million copies every quarter, so "everyone" knows what GTA is. Anyone tuning into The Game Awards already knows GTA VI is on the way, so why would Rockstar "share the spotlight with inferior games"? Both Rockstar and Take-Two have for years shown they don't need help from others in the gaming industry to promote their games. Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 were simply announced on Twitter with record-breaking engagement, and the fact that Sam Houser confirming the GTA VI trailer has more than 173.5 million views on X a week after posting truly proves the entire world will know seconds later if the trailer just debuts there. Then why bother appearing at The Game Awards?

I actually think it's more likely the trailer will be shown during the NBA Championship on the 9th of December. This would get the attention of more mainstream gamers and the general public, while the rest of us saw it on X, Facebook, YouTube etc. But again: GTA VI doesn't need anyone, so it wouldn't surprise me if Rockstar follows the same recipe as Red Dead Redemption 2 with a teasing countdown a day or two before the trailer drops on the studio's YouTube channel.

Long story short: the Grand Theft Auto VI trailer debuting at The Game Awards wouldn't just ruin the rest of the show, and with that hurt industry. It would be a waste of time and money for Take-Two and Rockstar because they can get just as much attention by doing everything themselves. So don't do the dumb thing, Rockstar. Just leave The Game Awards alone and post the trailer a couple of days before or after the biggest celebration of the year.