The first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, released in December 2023, did not represent a fully realized game at the time of its debut. According to Rockstar North boss Rob Nelson, the trailer's prominent use of Tom Petty's "Love is a Long Road" served as a crucial "mission statement" for the development team, providing a clear vision to rally around as they worked to complete the title. Nelson shared that without the game being fully formed, the song helped establish the intended tone and direction.
Nelson elaborated on the development process in an interview, explaining that the song was chosen to guide the team's efforts. "You don’t have the game fully formed, you have an idea of what it’s going to be, but you really have to push hard to pull that together," he stated. He added that the song "helps be a bit of a guiding light of what it needs to feel like." The team aimed to incorporate the best of their abilities at that point in development to align with this vision.
Following the decision to set Grand Theft Auto VI in Vice City, inspired by Miami, one of the initial steps for the developers was to visit the location. Nelson described the process of immersion, where a small group would travel to the city, drive around, take numerous pictures, and absorb the atmosphere. This experience was vital for generating ideas and determining what elements would be incorporated into the game.
Grand Theft Auto VI is slated for release on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Preorders have reportedly reached 5 million copies, generating over $500 million in revenue, according to SensorTower data. In conjunction with Sony, Rockstar will also offer a themed DualSense controller for the game, available for purchase on September 10.