Entertainment news Published
13% of GTA 6 Pre-Orders Say They'd Give Up Their Pet for Early Access, Report Says
Gaming outlets Dexerto and IGN reported on a survey about GTA 6 in which 13% of players who had pre-ordered said they would give up their pet if it meant playing early. The figure captures how intense the wait has become, but it deserves a careful read.
Translated from Japanese with AI. Read the original (Japanese)
The facts
What the Reported Survey Actually Asked
Gaming outlets Dexerto and IGN reported the results of a survey on attitudes toward GTA 6. According to both articles, 13% of players who had pre-ordered said they would be willing to give up their pet if it meant getting to play early.
The same survey reportedly found that 25% of women and 19% of men said they would give up sex. The questions appear designed to gauge how much people would sacrifice while waiting for the game's release.
The articles describe those responses as a worrying amount. It is worth keeping in mind that these are survey answers, not reports that anyone actually gave up a pet.
Sources: dexerto.com, ign.com
Analysis
Why the Wait for GTA 6 Feels So Long
GTA is known for open-world games that let players roam a large city, drive around and follow a story. A long gap since the last entry has built up expectations, which likely explains why the survey drew such extreme answers.
Release-date announcements and delays for this series are shared around the world almost instantly. Each time the timing shifts, excitement and frustration spill out in turn, creating a climate where fans' feelings show up easily in numbers.
The survey measured anticipation before launch, not the quality of the game itself. Pulling out the biggest number alone is easy to misread.
How to Read the Numbers
The 13% figure rests on what respondents said about themselves. It is not the same as whether they would actually give up a pet, and answers to this kind of question can include jokes or exaggeration. Online surveys routinely draw a share of respondents who pick the most extreme option for fun.
Both articles also limit the results to players who had already pre-ordered. The articles do not say how responses from people without a pre-order, or from people without pets, were handled. Without the sample size or the exact wording of the questions, the figure is hard to generalize.
The breakdown of 25% of women and 19% of men comes from the same survey. Without knowing how many people were in each group, it is hard to read much into the gap.
Sources: dexerto.com, ign.com
Why the Questions Are So Extreme
Questions like giving up a pet or giving up sex appear built to force an extreme choice as a way of measuring enthusiasm for the game. The point seems to be drawing out how badly people want to play rather than weighing the answers seriously.
Questions like these also make an easy hook for media coverage. Both articles' headlines lean on the number with language like a shocking share and a worrying amount.
For people who treat pets as family, though, the topic is not a light one. Even if the question works as a survey item, how the coverage handles it is fair to question.
Sources: dexerto.com, ign.com
What Happens to the Hype as Delays Continue
GTA 6's release timing has come up repeatedly, and fans swing between hope and disappointment with each new piece of information. The survey results can be seen as one example of the extreme answers that a long wait produces.
As launch gets closer, surveys like this may well shift. Whether anticipation brings more extreme answers or the sight of an actual release date calms things down will be worth watching.
Pre-launch hype surveys are often used to promote products in the game industry. How much these numbers translate into real behavior is unknown, and further reporting is needed.
What the Story Says About Hype
The GTA series is popular well beyond the US, and news about a new entry circulates widely online. A survey result from abroad like this one tends to land as something to be surprised or amused by.
Still, a survey from one market does not map neatly onto other countries. Pet ownership rates, pre-ordering habits and how people answer surveys all differ.
The fairest way to take this story is as an anecdote about how strong anticipation for a game can get. The number should not be overread, and the real reaction will come after launch.
Five story prompts by genre, each with a hook and a twist.
Questions
- How many people said they would give up their pet for early access to GTA 6?
- Dexerto and IGN reported that 13% of players who had pre-ordered said they would give up their pet if it meant playing early.
- Did the survey track people who actually gave up a pet?
- No. The articles report survey answers, not reports of anyone actually giving up a pet.
- Did answers differ by gender?
- Both articles reported that 25% of women and 19% of men said they would give up sex.