Rockstar and nopixel have launched a new initiative for GTA RP on Grand Theft Auto Online, with a new partner: YouTube.
Caylus made this announcement on Twitter:
This might be one of the craziest moments of my YouTube career so far. I am beyond excited to announce that I have partnered with @YouTubeGaming & @nopixeltweets for a 12-part GTA V RP series.
These conversations started almost a year ago so I am thrilled to have it come to life.
Episode one is out RIGHT NOW on my Caylus YouTube channel (link below).
#SponsoredByYouTube #NoPixel #GTARP
What Is YouTube And nopixel Up To?
Caylus’ video is called “I BUILT A SECRET UNDERGROUND CASINO IN GTA 5.” In it, Caylus is dropped off of a bar called The Apothecary, which is apparently owned by his uncle.
As he starts running the bar, a mysterious figure shows up to tell him that his uncle kept some secrets from him. And we won’t spoil the rest of the story here, but this might interest you enough to watch it.
As reported by RockstarIntel, the video is still GTA RP. That means that they are still improvising their lines as they go. But they are telling a story that’s been prepared in advance.
Is This The Metaverse? No, But It’s Something
The idea does seem to be to make a more easily digestible version of the much longer GTA RP streams that fans have been used to on platforms like Twitch. There’s some editing and even camera angle placement to make the GTA RP closer to watching a movie or show than just gameplay.
They also clearly made some planning to make a scenario that should be easier to act out, and also be easier to communicate in terms of visuals. But ultimately, this is just storytelling using a video game as the medium.
What If This Is Ultimately Just A Hardcore Niche?
There’s no guarantee that GTA RP will find a bigger audience than the hardcore fans. So we should give YouTube some credit for taking some risks with a project like this.
We do imagine that Rockstar also flexed their muscles to make this happen. It’s part of possibly broader plans with GTA RP.
But as much as fans want to imagine their wildest dreams, we have to ground our expectations. If GTA RP doesn’t ultimately become popular or profitable, this is at least a way for Rockstar to control it.
And Rockstar’s control need not be insidious. They can make sure the RP servers are all run fairly, and nobody makes trouble.
If there’s more opportunities from GTA RP, we’re about to see Rockstar and nopixel explore that.
If you are curious, you can watch Caylus’ video below.
