Bloomberg — The Rockstar company, creator of Grand Theft Auto (GTA), is looking to reinvent itself as a kinder and gentler company after a controversy that took place four years ago. But employees are unsure if it can continue to produce the chart-topping games the studio is known for.
According to many employees, the development of Grand Theft Auto VI has been slower than impatient fans and even long-time employees expected. However, company morale is higher than ever.
Between the new direction of the company and the departure in 2019 of Dan Houser, who led the creative direction of many previous games, everything indicates that Grand Theft Auto VI will be very different from its predecessor..
Here’s what we know about it.
There will be a female lead
For the first time, the game will feature a playable female lead, according to people familiar with the matter. The woman is Latina and will be one of the two main characters in a story influenced by bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde. The developers are also being careful not to “hit” by making jokes about marginalized groups, the people said.in contrast to previous Grand Theft Auto games.
The release of the game is likely to be two years from now
The developers of the next Grand Theft Auto say the game will be out sometime in Take-Two’s fiscal year 2024 (TTWO), which runs from April 2023 to March 2024. But the developers are skeptical. The game has been in development in some form since 2014. People interviewed for this article said that they were not aware of any firm release date and that they expect the game to be at least two years away. Earlier this year, a group of designers resigned from 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 it didn’t happen
The original plans for the title, codenamed Project Americas, were for it to be bigger than any Grand Theft Auto game to date. Early designs envisioned the inclusion of territories modeled after large swathes of North and South America, according to people familiar with the plans..
The new map is a fictional Miami but will be updated over time
The new map of the game now focuses on a fictional version of Miami and its surroundings. Rockstar’s plan is to continually update the game over time, adding new missions and cities on a regular basis, which management hopes will lead to fewer difficulties during the final months of the game.. Still, the game world is still large, with more interior locations than previous Grand Theft Auto games, which affects the timeline.