Why GTA Fans Are So Excited For May 12

Summer Game Fest recently kicked off four months full of digital events showcasing the latest and greatest in video games. As pointed out on Reddit, there's one addition to the events lineup that may be of particular interest to fans of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

The event in question falls on May 12. According to the Summer Game Fest schedule, that's when host Geoff Keighley will be presenting "a surprise game reveal." Even though there are no other indicators in the schedule of what that reveal may entail, some GTA fans seem convinced this will be the official unveiling of Grand Theft Auto 6.

A May 12 reveal is backed up by a convincing bit of evidence. As one fan pointed last December, Take Two owns a domain for GTA 6 that is set to expire on, of all days, May 12. At the time, this fan speculated, "We might get a reveal on [May 10] next year before they renew the domain."

It looks like this person may have been off by a few days, but it's hard not to be convinced by the domain's expiration date matching the date of Geoff Keighley's "surprise game reveal." If this theory shakes out, Take Two and Rockstar may wait until the very last minute so the domain can be renewed with official information and a formal announcement.

We've seen more hints than usual lately that something big is coming for Grand Theft Auto fans. Back in March, fans freaked out when actor Jorge Consejo added GTA 6 to his resume. While his CV lists that he portrays a character known as "The Mexican," he was unwilling to comment on the production.

"While I read every message from you, please know that because of contract stipulations sometimes I'm unable to comment on certain projects," Consejo said in a statement to fans. However, this convinced plenty of people that he was indeed in GTA 6 and had signed a non-disclosure agreement of some kind.

Consejo's potential involvement in the new Grand Theft Auto gave fans one of their first true hints that the game was already in production. Further leaks of alleged characters and map details have only added fuel to the fire.

Still, after plenty of false alarms and hyped up stories that led nowhere, many fans seem hesitant to believe any kind of rumor, much less the one about the Summer Game Fest reveal. Even fan account GTA 6 News cautions, "If I were you guys don't get hyped yet but keep it low as possible if you can. The 'new game' reveal on May 12 might be [Grand Theft Auto 6], but the chances are very low."

As one person points out, the second something is even partially confirmed, it opens the floodgates for fan hype. Interestingly, this is also that fan's reasoning why Rockstar shouldn't let GTA 6 be announced at the Summer Game Fest event. 

"Rockstar is so big their announcement would overshadow even a PS5 reveal," the fan said. "They don't need E3 or any other fest. A few weeks ago when Kotaku confirmed GTA VI's existence, [#GTAVI] was literally trending in a couple of hours."

That's certainly an interesting stance to take. However, it sort of echoes the sentiments of Ned Luke, the actor who portrayed Michael De Santa in Grand Theft Auto 5. During a livestream last month, he cautioned fans against buying into the rumor mill.

In a moment that took aim at YouTuber MrBossFTW, Luke said, "Do not believe anything that you see on the internet from, you know, uh, BossManF***TheWorld or whatever his name is, or any of those guys. Don't listen to those guys. They have no inside information. They're just clickbait. And if you hear it from Rockstar, then you know."

This isn't the first time that we've seen Grand Theft Auto fans reaching for a sign of a new game announcement. We've previously seen GTA fans flip out over possible concept art and changes to Rockstar's website. However, last month brought confirmation of a new Grand Theft Auto game, which means the anticipation has now reached a fever pitch. 

Hopefully a new Grand Theft Auto is indeed on the way. For many fans, the wait has been excruciating. A Grand Theft Auto 6 announcement would certainly be a welcome surprise at this point. At least May 12 is right around the corner, so we should know either way very soon.