In 2007 Rockstar Games teased Grand Theft Auto iv with a series of late-night ads appearing on channels such as FX. All the advertising involved was 30 minutes watching a clock tick, with every second being punctured by a gunshot. Young Zack, always the sucker, fell hard for the hype.
Yes, think of the old days of 2007. More specifically March 2007. As in March 2021, many people around the world were waiting for the next big game in the CTA series. Unlike now, where we have no news or information about the next game, we knew in 2007 that GTA IV would be coming. And Rockstar was happy to let fans count down every second until the very first trailer dropped.
To be clear, this bell ad was not countdown to the release of the game. No, this watch simply and loudly counts down every second until the first trailer will be released.
And yet, stupid, younger Zack, watched a lot of this countdown ad and alternated between adult swimming and the count. Why? Because I thought, maybe, just can be, if I watched it, Rockstar would show a preview of the game early and I would get a taste! It never happened. These ads have been showing for a few nights, but it’s hard to find exact details online. I’m honestly shocked that someone even recorded it and uploaded it YouTube in 2007.
When the count stopped and the trailer finally fell, Rockstar’s website crashed, and people could not even see it right away. It was a frustrating end to a bizarre teaser campaign, which we probably will not see again.
G / O Media can get a commission