'Grand Theft Auto 6' is among the most hotly-anticipated releases in all of pop culture, and we have know learned our first few concrete details about the project.
Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier profiled Rockstar Games and their changing business practices after years of criticism from former employees, and revealed that Rockstar are looking to avoid "punching down" in 'Grand Theft Auto 6'.
Per the Bloomberg article 'Grand Theft Auto VI' will include a playable female protagonist for the first time, according to people familiar with the game.
The character, who is Latina, will be one of a pair of leading characters in a story influenced by the bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde, sources told Bloomberg.
The report added developers are also being cautious not to “punch down” by making jokes about marginalised groups, in contrast to previous games in the series.
The initial plan for the next 'Grand Theft Auto' game was to make it the vastest game in the series to date, with territories modelled after large swathes of North and South America, but per the article, this plan was scaled back and the main map will now be "a fictional version of Miami and its surrounding areas."
The smash success of 'Grand Theft Auto Online' is a major influence on the development of the next entry in the crime franchise, with the game adding new missions and cities to the game over time.
The thrust of the article states that Rockstar are keen to avoid the "crunch culture" that has plagued their previous games, and overhaul the "frat-boy culture" that had set in at Rockstar.
Developers working on 2018's 'Red Dead Redemption 2' were subject to working "mandatory 14-hour days and weekends".
The 'Grand Theft Auto' games are known for their irrerevent sense of humour, but the article points to Rockstar removing content that could be perceived as transphobic from the recent re-release of 'Grand Theft Auto V' for the current-gen consoles.
A planned game mode called "Cops 'N' Crooks" was planned to be added to the game in 2020, but was scrapped following the global George Floyd protests in the summer of that year, with no plans to release the mode, in a sign of Rockstar's shifting attitudes.
Rockstar Games changing their tact is certainly an interesting change of pace considering how the studio hired disgraced PR guru Max Clifford to market the original 'Grand Theft Auto' in an attempt to grab headlines.
Development on the game has been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the change in the culture at Rockstar Games, and there is no word yet on a release date for the next crime epic.
'Grand Theft Auto V' is one of the most successful entertainment products of all time, with lifetime sales well over the 150 million mark, meaning that there will be a captive audience ready and waiting for whatever Rockstar Games bring next.
