Grand Theft Auto Online isn’t perfect — there were some annoying caveats for character transfers to new consoles — but it is popular. With as many players as the online sandbox has, it’s somewhat surprising that Rockstar Games hasn’t served up more brand collaborations, crossovers, or straight-up ads. That’s the bread and butter for the likes of Fortnite, Fall Guys, and similar multiplayer titles. Now we know why Rockstar does things differently.
Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive, explained it to GI.biz. “The world of GTA is a fictional world,” Zelnick states. “To bring real-life brands in, they really have to be iconic, and they have to fit within that world. It’s very much a creative decision driven by the team at Rockstar. We wouldn’t include a brand just based on a financial opportunity in any of our titles.” It’s an admirable answer, considering Rockstar and Take-Two could certainly make a profit with more brand inclusions if they wanted to.
More commonly, GTA Online ends up being a platform on which new content debuts. The Contract expansion featured story content with big-name rapper Dr. Dre when it arrived last December. It included new music and collaborations from Dre, in addition to a new radio station. The latest big addition to the game is GTA+, a subscription to the online service on current-gen consoles. It includes membership benefits such as in-game money and vehicles like cars and yachts.
There are other games that capitalize on crossovers and brand integration more often because it makes sense, as Zelnick points out. “NBA is one of them, [and] PGA is another,” the CEO continued. “When you involve yourself with those games in the real world, you have an expectation of seeing advertisers and sponsors. But you don’t really have that expectation in Grand Theft Auto, except for fictional brands.” This mentality will presumably continue into Grand Theft Auto 6, a game that’s “well underway” in the development cycle.
