After a public controversy four years ago, Rockstar, the creator of Grand Theft Auto, is reinventing itself as a kinder and gentler company. But officials aren’t sure it can still produce the flagship caliber of game the studio has become known for.
Development of Grand Theft Auto VI has been slower than eager fans and even longtime employees expected, although morale at the company is higher than ever, according to many employees. Between the new direction of the company and the departure in 2019 of Dan Hauser, who handled the creative direction of many previous games, all indications are that Grand Theft Auto VI will look very different from its predecessor.
Here’s what we know.
The main character will have a woman
The game will feature a female protagonist for the first time, according to people familiar with the matter. The woman is Hispanic and will be one of two main characters in a story influenced by bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde. The developers are also careful not to “reduce” by making jokes about marginalized groups, the people said, unlike previous Grand Theft Auto games.
The game’s release is probably two years away
Industry analysts expect the next Grand Theft Auto to be released sometime during Take-Two’s 2024 fiscal year, which runs from April 2023 to March 2024, but developers are skeptical. The game has been in development in some form since 2014. While there are loose timelines, people interviewed for this article said they were unaware of a firm release date and that they expected the game to be at least two years away. Earlier this year, a group of designers walked out of Rockstar’s Edinburgh office, telling colleagues they were fed up with the lack of progress.
Rockstar wanted to include large parts of North and South America, but had to intervene
The original plans for the title, codenamed Project Americas, were to be bigger than any Grand Theft Auto game to date. Early designs call for the inclusion of territories modeled after large parts of North and South America, according to people familiar with the plans.
The new map is fictional Miami, but will be updated over time
The game’s new map now focuses on a fictionalized version of Miami and the surrounding areas. Rockstar’s plan is to continuously update the game over time, regularly adding new missions and cities, which management hopes will lead to fewer crashes in the final months of the game. However, the game world remains large, with more interior locations than previous Grand Theft Auto games, which affects the timeline.
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