Take-Two CEO Teases Multiple Netflix Projects Beyond GTA 6 Showcase

Take-Two’s partnership with Netflix isn’t stopping at one showcase. CEO Strauss Zelnick has suggested the companies are working on more together, even as he stays deliberately vague on specifics.

Strauss Hints At More Netflix Collaborations

Speaking to Variety, Zelnick called Netflix “great marketing and distribution partners.” He continued, “I do hope we’ll continue to do business with Netflix.” He added that there are “a lot of opportunities across both our console and PC and mobile portfolios” to explore with the streamer going forward.

Strauss also hinted at more collaborations with other outlets alongside Netflix. On the company’s earnings call, he said:

“We have a close partnership with Netflix, and they are in the video game business, and we’re very happy to be their partner. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of things that we can do with Netflix and any other outlets in the future. We want to be ubiquitous. We want to be where our customers are.”

He was also careful to note that Netflix isn’t the only outlet Rockstar works with. “Rockstar has licensed content to Netflix before, as has the rest of Take-Two,” Zelnick said, calling the current deal “groundbreaking and unique” while stressing it’s part of a broader strategy rather than an exclusive arrangement.

One “Hors D’oeuvre” of a Bigger Campaign

Speaking about the August 27 Netflix special, which will give an extended look at GTA 6, Zelnick called the event “one of the hors d’oeuvres” for the full launch, suggesting more marketing moments are still to come before the November 19 release.

Asked why Rockstar picked Netflix for this reveal rather than going straight to YouTube as it did with the first two trailers, Zelnick pointed to reach: “Last time I checked, I think Netflix had 200 million subscribers. I’m guessing all 200 million of them are going to be watching.” Netflix’s actual subscriber count has since grown past 325 million.

Zelnick also framed the move as bigger than audience size. When asked whether the Netflix deal was meant to signal that GTA 6 is a major entertainment tentpole rather than “just a video game,” he agreed: “I think that that’s a pretty brilliant way to look at it.”

Netflix’s Own Read on the Deal

Netflix’s side of the announcement came from Brandon Riegg, the company’s VP of nonfiction series, rather than its head of gaming. “‘Grand Theft Auto’ reveals have become cultural moments in their own right,” Riegg said.

The anticipation and fandom around ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ is unprecedented, and we’re honored that Rockstar Games has partnered with us to debut the next part of the ‘Grand Theft Auto’ story with Netflix members first.”

Sources familiar with the matter told Variety that Netflix pursued the tie-in as part of its push to be present for major cultural moments, similar to its expansion into live sports. Neither Take-Two nor Netflix disclosed the financial terms of the arrangement.

The special premieres on Netflix at 3 p.m. ET on August 27 and becomes freely available on Rockstar’s YouTube channel six hours later, ahead of GTA 6’s November 19 launch.