Grand Theft Auto VI exists in its own universe
Grand Theft Auto VI exists in its own universe
《侠盗猎车手 VI》存在于它自己的宇宙中
Rockstar’s latest epic is almost here, and it seems nothing can stop it. Rockstar 的最新史诗巨作即将到来，似乎没有任何力量能阻挡它。
How it started
故事的开端
Four years ago, fans got a long-awaited look at Grand Theft Auto VI with a huge cache of videos that showed off Rockstar’s latest open-world epic. There were 90 videos in total, providing a glimpse at the next-generation take on Vice City, introducing the game’s new dual protagonists, and generally showing off the crime-fueled mayhem the series is known for. The twist? This wasn’t some official reveal. The videos were part of a massive leak in September 2022 that ultimately ended with a life sentence in a secure hospital for the hacker, and they dropped months before Rockstar properly unveiled GTA VI to the world with its debut trailer. 四年前，粉丝们通过一批海量视频终于看到了期待已久的《侠盗猎车手 VI》，这些视频展示了 Rockstar 最新的开放世界史诗。总计 90 段视频让我们得以一窥次世代的罪恶都市，介绍了游戏的新双主角，并展示了该系列标志性的犯罪狂欢。反转在于，这并非官方发布。这些视频源于 2022 年 9 月的一次大规模泄露，最终导致黑客被判处在安全医院终身监禁。而这些视频的流出，比 Rockstar 通过首支预告片正式向世界揭晓《GTA VI》还要早几个月。
For many video game studios, a leak of that magnitude would be devastating. But not Rockstar: Following the unprecedented success of GTA V, which has sold more than 230 million copies across PC and three generations of consoles, it seems like there is little that can impact the studio in the lead-up to the sequel’s much-hyped launch. GTA VI’s first trailer was leaked less than a day before it was set to premiere in December 2023, and yet the official video went on to garner nearly 290 million views on YouTube. 对于许多游戏工作室来说，如此规模的泄露将是毁灭性的。但 Rockstar 不同：继《GTA V》取得前所未有的成功（在 PC 和三代主机上销量超过 2.3 亿份）之后，似乎没有什么能影响该工作室在续作备受瞩目的发布前夕的节奏。《GTA VI》的首支预告片在 2023 年 12 月原定首映前不到一天被泄露，但官方视频最终仍在 YouTube 上获得了近 2.9 亿次观看。
That’s not all that has happened on the long road to launch. Outside of the leaks, the studio has also been accused of union busting, GTA VI has been delayed multiple times, and the game, which won’t be available on a disc, has been viewed as a worrying sign for the future of physical media. But none of that has done much to slow down Rockstar or the relentless force that is its next game. And next week the hype is poised to reach a new level: A gameplay trailer for GTA VI will premiere on Netflix, available to subscribers six hours before everyone else can watch it on YouTube. It’s a huge marketing coup, and the type of thing only GTA VI can get away with. 在漫长的发布之路上，发生的事情远不止于此。除了泄露事件，该工作室还被指控破坏工会，《GTA VI》也多次跳票，且该游戏将不提供实体光盘，这被视为实体媒体未来的一个令人担忧的信号。但这一切都没能减缓 Rockstar 的脚步，也没能阻挡其下一部作品那势不可挡的力量。下周，这种热度将达到新的高度：《GTA VI》的游戏预告片将在 Netflix 上首映，订阅用户可以比 YouTube 上的普通观众提前六小时观看。这是一次巨大的营销胜利，也是只有《GTA VI》才能做到的事情。
How it’s going
现状如何
The lead-up to the Netflix premiere hasn’t exactly been smooth. Over the last week further leaks have spread unofficial gameplay clips across platforms like Discord and X, and Rockstar has flexed its legal muscles, subpoenaing both Microsoft and Discord in hopes of finding the culprit. This had led to some frustration internally, and potentially changes to how Rockstar approaches security, according to a Bloomberg report. But, once again, it doesn’t seem to have put a dent in the fervor around the game. GTA VI is so big that even small updates, like a cover art reveal, rack up millions of views. And this has allowed Rockstar to do things no one else can. It can reveal gameplay through a mainstream platform like Netflix, and maintain sustained interest in the game despite only releasing two trailers over the span of several years. Netflix 首映前的准备工作并不算顺利。过去一周，更多的泄露事件导致非官方游戏片段在 Discord 和 X 等平台上流传，Rockstar 动用了法律手段，向微软和 Discord 发出传票，希望能找到罪魁祸首。据彭博社报道，这在内部引起了一些挫败感，并可能促使 Rockstar 改变其安全处理方式。但再一次，这似乎并没有削弱人们对这款游戏的热情。《GTA VI》的影响力如此之大，以至于即使是像封面艺术揭晓这样的小更新，也能获得数百万的观看量。这使得 Rockstar 能够做别人做不到的事情：它可以通过 Netflix 这样的主流平台展示游戏画面，并且在几年内仅发布两支预告片的情况下，依然能维持人们对游戏的持续关注。
“Grand Theft Auto reveals have become cultural moments in their own right,” Netflix exec Brandon Riegg said when announcing the gameplay reveal. “The anticipation and fandom around Grand Theft Auto VI is unprecedented, and we’re honored that Rockstar Games has partnered with us to debut the next part of the Grand Theft Auto story with Netflix members first.” “《侠盗猎车手》的发布本身已经成为了文化时刻，”Netflix 高管 Brandon Riegg 在宣布游戏预告片时表示。“围绕《侠盗猎车手 VI》的期待和粉丝热度是前所未有的，我们很荣幸 Rockstar Games 能与我们合作，让 Netflix 会员率先见证《侠盗猎车手》故事的下一篇章。”
This mentality isn’t entirely new for Rockstar, but the success of GTA V has allowed the studio to be more confident with how it reveals and launches games, eschewing the traditional news cycle in favor of, well, whatever it wants. Back in 2016, on a random Sunday afternoon, the studio released an image that was simply its logo on a red background. The internet promptly went into a craze, correctly surmising that Rockstar was teasing the next Red Dead Redemption, an open-world Western series that had been dormant for several years. That game, Red Dead Redemption 2, went on to sell nearly 90 million copies, giving Rockstar another blockbuster to fill the gap between GTAs. 这种心态对 Rockstar 来说并不完全新鲜，但《GTA V》的成功让该工作室在游戏揭晓和发布方式上更加自信，它摒弃了传统的新闻周期，转而选择——嗯，随心所欲。早在 2016 年的一个普通周日下午，该工作室发布了一张图片，上面仅仅是红色背景下的公司 Logo。互联网瞬间陷入疯狂，人们准确地推测出 Rockstar 正在预告下一部《荒野大镖客》，这是一个已经沉寂多年的开放世界西部系列。那款游戏《荒野大镖客 2》最终售出了近 9000 万份，为 Rockstar 提供了另一部大作来填补两部《GTA》之间的空窗期。
Open-world games have become widespread over the last decade or so, but there’s still no developer that renders its virtual worlds with the level of detail and realism that Rockstar does. That’s true whether we’re talking about a fictional version of modern California or the Wild West at the turn of the century. It’s also probably why the studio can get away with taking so long with GTA VI; fans have been given plenty of reason to believe that it’ll be worth the wait. 在过去十年左右的时间里，开放世界游戏已经变得非常普遍，但仍然没有哪家开发商能像 Rockstar 那样，以如此高的细节和真实感来呈现其虚拟世界。无论是虚构的现代加州，还是世纪之交的西部荒野，皆是如此。这也可能是为什么该工作室能让《GTA VI》开发如此之久的原因；粉丝们有充分的理由相信，这一切等待都是值得的。
And that’s why the steady stream of leaks has done little to diminish the hype around the game. In fact, they’re almost serving as a form of marketing; Rockstar may be content with a drip feed of news and details, but anxious fans are eager to soak up every new detail about the game, whether it’s official or not. 这就是为什么源源不断的泄露几乎没有削弱人们对这款游戏的热情。事实上，它们几乎起到了一种营销的作用；Rockstar 可能满足于缓慢地挤牙膏式发布新闻和细节，但焦虑的粉丝们渴望吸收关于游戏的每一个新细节，无论它是官方的还是非官方的。
What happens next
接下来会发生什么
Grand Theft Auto VI launches on November 19th, and it’s coming at a challenging time for the games industry. For basically everyone not named Nintendo, things are not looking good: Hardware is getting prohibitively expensive, physical media is dying, major platforms are in a state of upheaval, and ill-placed bets on live-service games have left the industry reeling. There are few signs that things will improve anytime soon. Amid all of that, GTA VI stands apart. It’s a launch so big that nearly every other major publish 《侠盗猎车手 VI》将于 11 月 19 日发布，而此时正值游戏行业充满挑战的时期。对于除了任天堂以外的几乎所有人来说，情况都不容乐观：硬件价格变得高不可攀，实体媒体正在消亡，各大平台处于动荡之中，对“实时服务型游戏”的错误押注让整个行业陷入困境。目前几乎没有迹象表明情况会很快好转。在这一切之中，《GTA VI》显得与众不同。它的发布规模如此之大，以至于几乎所有其他主要发行商……