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Grand Theft Auto IV's low-key rollout

BY DERRIK J. LANG | Associated Press

April 29, 2008

There's no Burger King tie-in or special flavor of Mountain Dew. No commercial directed by Peter Jackson, or even an action figure.

The run-up to Grand Theft Auto IV has been considerably less ballyhooed than last year's over-the-top Halo 3 debut. Yet when GTA IV parks on store shelves today, the latest entry in the controversial video game franchise could be the most lucrative launch in entertainment history - and one that many people may not even know about.

Analysts predict Take-Two Interactive Software and Rockstar Games' open-world, action-driving game will easily top last year's record-breaking $300 million first-week sales of Microsoft and Bungee Studios' first-person shooter Halo 3 - and without a similar marketing bonanza.

With the launch of GTA IV on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Rockstar is seemingly steering in one direction: the down-low.

"Rockstar wants to control the message all the time," says Sam Kennedy, editorial director for the gaming site 1UP.com. "They want this to be seen and perceived exactly the way they want. That's why - outside of the official trailers they released - people haven't seen a lot of gameplay footage in advance of GTA IV shipping. They want to build that hype."

Building excitement

Take-Two and Rockstar declined to comment for this story, but after a 90-minute demonstration of the game in January, GTA IV writer and Rockstar vice president Dan Houser said the infamous game developer was being overly protective for one very important reason.

"We want people to be really excited and not know everything by the time they play the game," said Houser. "Of course, we want them to understand what they're buying, but we want there to be surprises along the way."

The desire for intel about Grand Theft Auto IV has been mounting since the game was announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2006 and again in August when Take-Two revealed GTA IV would be delayed until 2008. Other than four popular online trailers and some embargoed press previews, there hasn't been much info.

The silent treatment is a savvy business move, according to Steve Fowler, vice president of strategy for the Ayzenberg Group, a company that specializes in interactive entertainment advertising and marketing. Fowler worked as a product manager on the original Halo.

"Halo 3 took the approach of going after a less core consumer, but they had an ulterior motive," says Fowler.

True to the game

"Microsoft was using Halo 3, their biggest property, to try and sell more Xbox 360s. Take-Two and Rockstar are free of that constriction because GTA IV is on both platforms, so they're only motivated to be true to what their game is and sell copies of their game."

Thus far, Rockstar's advertising campaign has consisted of several outdoor elements - billboards, bus wraps, building murals, phony wanted posters - spread across North America and Europe as well as a few viral videos featuring satirical commercials for fictitious GTA businesses posted online. GameStop and Microsoft have also aired their own TV commercials featuring the game.

M-rated content

The less-is-more approach might also have something to do with the controversial series' M-rated (mature, for ages 17 and older) content. Grand Theft Auto anti-hero Niko Bellic, an immigrant-turned-gangster from Eastern Europe, isn't exactly one of the Mario Brothers. As Bellic, players can hijack cars, earn cash for criminal activities, flee from police, drive drunk, kill innocent bystanders and patronize strip clubs.

"If you look at their marketing, that's not a selling point at all," says Fowler. "They've gone with this comic book look and feel. It's not about graphic violence. It's not about profanity.

It's more about the feeling, expression and the emotional attachment to the characters and the world."

The drama extends beyond Liberty City, the game's fictional locale, and into the real world. Video game publisher Take-Two, which owns Rockstar, has been subject to a hostile takeover bid from Electronic Arts since February. Take-Two has been holding out, refusing to enter formal talks with EA or any other suitor until the day after GTA IV goes on sale.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the previous GTA console game sold more than 9 million copies when it was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2004, according to NPD Group, which tracks video game sales. To meet the demand for this game, retailers such as GameStop and Best Buy opened their doors at midnight for special GTA IV launch events.