The world's best-selling game series 'Grand Theft Auto' recently announced that the latest installment 'GTA6' will be delayed until May 26, 2026, causing an uproar among global players. In the face of player disappointment, game developer RockStars released the second game trailer yesterday, more clearly showcasing the game's tutorial level. The video has been online for just a short week and has attracted nearly 110 million views, showing that its popularity has not diminished but increased after 12 years without a new release. Recently, it has driven the surge of "game concept tokens" in the crypto circle and stimulated Web3 game companies to go public in the US. Various rumors about 'GTA6' potentially issuing a cryptocurrency have also been rampant. This article will organize the news and analyze the possibilities.
GTA6 Trailer Content
The trailer released at the beginning of the month fully demonstrated the game's core gameplay and plot. According to analysis by numerous content creators, the second trailer is mostly composed of PS5 in-game footage, showcasing GTA6's prologue tutorial level and concept.
For example, the video begins with the protagonist showing scenes of driving and moving into a new house. Soon, they will meet a high-interest loan landlord. To pay rent and repay debt, the protagonist will perform a series of debt collection missions across the city. During this process, the system will introduce various tutorials, such as hairstyles, driving, firearms, fitness systems, asset acquisition, and more.
After completing a certain level, the female protagonist's storyline will be triggered, visiting the prison to pick up the female protagonist who is a boxer. Subsequently, some emotional and grudge events will unfold, with the protagonist and female protagonist vowing to do something big together. The game also displays mission storylines centered on females and couples in the series' history, including missions and plots such as female sisterhoods, women gathering to criticize men, and sexy beauty pageants, showing GTA6's new breakthrough in gender issues.
Stimulating Crypto Market
The release date and news of GTA6 unexpectedly triggered a rise in Web3-related tokens. Metaverse-related concept tokens like SAND and MANA experienced a rare significant surge of 20-30% in a single week after the GTA trailer was released, demonstrating the massive attention and market movement brought by GTA6's release date.
Will RockStar Issue a Coin?
Players are focused on whether the game company RockStar will issue a cryptocurrency. Currently, the official has not made a clear statement, but there are many recent clues suggesting this possibility. BlockTempo will organize the context and cite expert opinions:
Official Proximity to Web3, No Denial of 'Crypto Currency Message'
Two years ago, it was widely rumored that 'GTA6' would integrate blockchain technology to implement a crypto-based reward system and possibly use Bitcoin as the game's payment method and reward token. However, these rumors have not been officially confirmed by Rockstar or its parent company Take-Two.
On the other hand, Take-Two, Rockstar's parent company, is actively embracing Web3. The company spent $12.7 billion last year to acquire Zynga, a social game developer supporting NFT chain games, and launched the Web3 game 'Sugartown' on Ethereum in August this year.
During 2023 and 2024, numerous scams using the 'GTA6' name for token issuance or game content have emerged, but Rockstar has never denied whether they plan to launch a cryptocurrency.
The only mention was in late 2022 when Rockstar officially issued a ban on Non-Fungible Token usage for fan-created 'Grand Theft Auto 5' role-playing servers (RP), prohibiting third-party online servers from integrating cryptocurrencies or Non-Fungible Tokens. However, this was merely a "moral persuasion" by modifying user terms, and no actual cases of Rockstar cracking down on crypto private servers have been heard.
GTA5 Online Insider: Official Will Definitely Integrate Third-Party Role-Playing Servers (RP)
Facing the diverse third-party role-playing servers (RP) on the PC version of GTA5, BlockTempo contacted a game industry insider "RJ" who has been involved in GTA5 Online maintenance for many years. RJ stated that Rockstar internally has long despised third-party role-playing servers (RP), mainly because these servers severely impacted GTA5 Online's active user numbers and sales of items like "shark cards".
However, in recent years, after consulting with external advisors, Rockstar is planning to introduce a unified platform server open to third parties in GTA6, and possibly introduce a universal token that can be used across all RP servers:
What I'm about to say is no longer a secret, many industry insiders and streaming platform executives know this. Rockstar wants GTA6 to accomplish what GTA5 did not. Single-player game content is not the focus; the key is how to unify RP servers and create a unified currency for all third-party servers. This is the main framework for GTA6 Online. The details are not yet finalized, and the online version will not be launched immediately with the release date.
But the universal currency that can unify servers inevitably makes people think of crypto.
Crypto Enterprise Animoca Brands Mentions GTA6 Crypto Payment
Recently, indirect confirmation of GTA6's crypto potential comes from web3 gaming giant Animoca Brands. During a Financial Times interview about "listing on the New York Stock Exchange", founder Yat Siu directly revealed information about GTA6's crypto and plans. Given Animoca Brands' scale and founder's statement, it's hard to dismiss his comments as mere speculation:
Regarding Animoca Brands' expectations, the gaming industry will soon benefit from new gaming console releases and major titles like Grand Theft Auto 6, which may integrate crypto-based payment methods, potentially increasing revenue for Animoca Brands' investment portfolio.
Whether GTA6 will ultimately confirm crypto payment and tokens, how tokens will be issued, and how players will interact with these tokens remains unknown. However, it's clear that the gaming industry is eagerly anticipating the traffic and attention GTA6 will bring, making its release date a highly anticipated moment for Web3 companies.
