Last month, we heard that GTA 6 publisher Take-Two believes Rockstar’s upcoming epic will help sell Xbox consoles later this year – and now a new Windows Central piece with the help of analyst Rhys Elliot goes into how Microsoft should be looking to take advantage of this with Xbox Series S.
The MIDiA Research rep. talked about Microsoft’s plummeting console sales as of late, and how that despite Sony effectively ‘winning’ the generation with PS5, Xbox could use GTA 6 as “a last hurrah for its Series X|S generation, thanks to the low price of the Series S.”
“Like Rockstar’s other flagship titles, GTA 6 will hit PlayStation and Xbox before it hits PC. Therefore, it could pay off for Xbox to have a significant Series S push and fire sale to tie in with GTA 6 — as one last hurrah for this generation. The marketing team should be banging the drum, highlighting that ‘the Series S is the most accessible way to play GTA 6.'”
The analyst went on to say that if this fire sale led to a “sub-$200 Series S”, that combination “could be an enticing entry point to GTA for cash-strapped consumers, of which there are many, thanks to today’s tumultuous economy and cost-of-living crisis.”
However, in the past, Sony has typically held the marketing rights for Grand Theft Auto – a point this article also brings up. Elliot says that despite his sound suggestions about Microsoft really pushing Xbox Series S for this game in particular, he “reckons PlayStation will get the rights” in the end.
Of course, it’s worth mentioning that GTA 6 isn’t exactly a game that needs much marketing to force its way into the hearts and minds of potential customers. This is a mega-franchise — one of the most mainstream gaming IP in the world — and with the right message, Xbox Series S could be seen as a good way to play GTA 6 regardless of who gets the official marketing rights. Microsoft just needs to actually want to do that.
