We are now accustomed, when we approach the launch of a video game, as well as other media products (film, music, series), to find ourselves bombarded by content related to the specific product. In fact, distributors often use consolidated marketing techniques to keep the public’s interest around the next release. Thus, when we get ready at the release of the next game, a sequence of gameplay trailers, history, cinematographics and those who have more, more or less. Minutes on minutes of content that help us to understand if that product does to our case, if history seems quite interesting, if the gameplay seems aged compared to the previous chapter and if the graphics is sufficiently polished to be able to enjoy it on our television or monitor. However, in some cases, companies like Rockstar Games jump off this wagon and let the silence speak for their titles. That's what happened with GTA IV. GTA VI: the straw of silence In 2020, after the release of Red Dead Redemption 2, we have the first reliable indiscretions on the existence of a sixth chapter for the Grand Theft Auto saga. It is only a shy confirmation, followed by a silence that is behind a wave of endless speculations. Among those who said that the game would include a huge map, which would enclose the entirety of the United States and who claimed that the cost of the title exceeded the two billion dollars and that it would arrive on the shelves for an average price of one hundred euros, we heard talk for years of GTA VI, long before Rockstar showed the first images. Even before an official trailer released by developers, in 2022, shortly after the official confirmation that GTA VI is in development, one of the biggest leaks in the history of video games hits Rockstar Games. Tens are stolen, if not hundreds, of gigabytes of game movies that are readily spread on the net and stormed by fans from all over the world. Beyond the content of these films, concerning rather embryonic phases of development, what is interesting is the huge media resonance that this event had. These videos, in fact, promptly removed for copyright violations, have nevertheless toured the world in a very short time, ending saved in online bookstores to which it was possible to access through a special link and, in this way, remaining in circulation even after each trace of them had now disappeared from sites like YouTube. Every website, content creator and video game enthusiast spoke and speculated around these materials, creating a series of theories about the nature of the game. We are, in fact, in 2022 and, until now, Rockstar Games did not say anything about GTA VI. The silence of the developers, even after this event, continues. Quello che noto e’ un approccio decisamente diverso rispetto a quanto visto con Red Dead Redemption 2. Nel 2020 la strategia di Rockstar era stata quella di seminare curiosità attraverso brevi teaser, incrementando l’hype prima dell'uscita del titolo. Qui, invece, si assiste ad una vera e propria operazione di “manipolazione dell’attesa”, come direbbe qualcuno. Il leak del 2022, inevitabilmente, ha accelerato questa tendenza. Non mi stupirei se la decisione di mantenere il silenzio sia legata anche a quella mole di materiale trapelato; è possibile che Rockstar stia valutando attentamente quali frammenti mostrare al pubblico, cercando di gestire l'hype senza rivelare troppo e, forse, contenendo i danni già fatti. L’annuncio della collaborazione con Netflix per il gameplay reveal del 27 agosto (ora italiana) conferma questa strategia: un assaggio controllato, distribuito su una piattaforma con un pubblico enorme, piuttosto che affidarsi a trailer amatoriali o discussioni frammentate online. E considerando quanto è stato già leakato, forse l'obiettivo e’ proprio quello di "riprogrammare" la narrazione attorno al gioco, limitando il controllo della comunicazione a Rockstar. Sarebbe interessante capire se questo approccio si riflette anche nel tipo di contenuti che verranno rilasciati dopo il reveal: un’alternanza di elementi “ufficiali” e potenziali “leak”, mantenendo alta l'attenzione senza svelare completamente la strategia di gioco.
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