Recently, gamers have noticed that comments which mention GTA 6 appear to get muted on Rockstar Games’ official YouTube channel. This has led to speculation that Rockstar is trying to limit any discussion of GTA 6 on their Youtube channel.
Despite not having ever been officially announced by Rockstar, GTA 6 is easily one of the most anticipated games. One would expect Rockstar to welcome a lively conversation about their profitable IP. However, things on their YouTube channel seem to paint a different picture. Evidence points to the fact that discussion around GTA 6 is being muted.
Content creator Strange Man, who has created plenty of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption 2 videos on YouTube, took to Twitter to share a strange observation. When commenting the word GTA 6 underneath a video from Rockstar’s official YouTube channel, everything seems normal at first. However, when attempting to view the comment from an alternate account, Strange Man found that the comment had disappeared. This suggests that Rockstar is surreptitiously muting comments that mention GTA 6.
It is likely that Rockstar recognizes that while GTA 6 is a hotly anticipated game, it is also at the heart of a lot of negative attention GTA V has been recently receiving. Originally released in 2013, GTA V has enjoyed an abnormally lengthy lifespan. Still seeing some juice to squeeze out of it, Rockstar has announced an expanded and enhanced edition for the next generation consoles. A trailer for the game revealed at Sony’s PlayStation showcase on the 9th of September has received over 100k dislikes in comparison to 30k likes, indicating strong displeasure from the public. It appears that while many appreciate GTA V, they also crave the kinds of fresh locations and experiences that only a new title like GTA 6 can bring.
Muting conversation around GTA 6 on YouTube may be a way for Rockstar to not have gamers looking towards the next entry in the franchise when the studio is still heavily invested in GTA V. With GTA V: Expanded & Enhanced, you will be taken back to Los Santos, but with a few upgrades. Although Rockstar has been vague on what precisely will be expanded and enhanced, they have stated that you can expect a range of technical and graphical improvements. Gamers on PS5 will also be able to claim GTA: Online for the first three months for free. This is the standalone multiplayer component that does not require GTA V to run.
GTA V: Expanded & Enhanced Edition launches in March 2022 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
