Sunderland E-Sports Team reacts to “amazing” first-look GTA trailer

It was a 24-word sentence that set the internet alight.

On November 8, Rockstar Games posted: “We are very excited to let you know that in early December, we will release the first trailer for the next Grand Theft Auto.”

This post, effectively an announcement of an announcement has 185 million views on X at the time of writing.

In 1998, Rockstar Games was founded on the idea that video games could come to be as essential to culture as any other form of entertainment, and we hope that we have created games you love in our efforts to be part of that evolution.

— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) November 8, 2023

When the teaser trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI was uploaded in the late hours of Monday December 4, it broke the record for most views on YouTube in 24 hours.

It has even surpassed the number of views of the Grand Theft Auto V trailer which was uploaded 12 years ago.

Our trailer has leaked so please watch the real thing on YouTube: https://t.co/T0QOBDHwBe

— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) December 4, 2023

But does the promise of a new blockbuster game mean a change in the e-sports scene is imminent?

Spark spoke to the Sunderland University’s E-Sports Society about their excitement for the newest instalment of the GTA series.

Head of E-Sports Edie Brady said the trailer was a display of “what the next generation of tech will be able to do,” but said the game does not “jump out” to her as a possibility for e-sports.

Meanwhile, computer science student Cameron Crosby tipped the game to “break so many records.”

Media student Dan Sewell suggested the game could “last longer” than GTA V, released in 2013 and Daniel Woodhead pointed to the “amazing feat” of the diversity of non-playable characters in the trailer.

The group as a whole shared Brady’s sentiments on the chances of GTA becoming a part of the E-Sports scene.

For a game which is seen as “just hanging out with friends and having fun messing around” it will be hard to translate it to a competitive setting according to Stephen Creighton, an E-Sports Management student.

While Creighton believes GTA e-sports would be “pretty challenging” he did say that it would be “intriguing”. However, he does not think it is something that could be “feasibly pulled off.”

“You could make a case for speed-running being a competitive element but for actual sport and competition there are definitely better options.”

It is a sentiment echoed by Crosby who said GTA would need a “new gameplay mechanic or modes” to enable it to be considered an option for e-sports.

Rockstar has described GTA VI as the “biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.”

The game is slated for a 2025 release on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.