Video games are usually a few steps removed from reality, but with Grand Theft Auto 6, developer Rockstar Games aims to reflect and amplify the current state of the world with an “over the top” experience. As seen in the trailers and gameplay previews so far, GTA 6 is a contemporary game about doing whatever it takes to make it to the top, and that pursuit of fame and glory is often bookended by shootouts, car chases, and explosions in its Bonnie and Clyde narrative.
“If you are going to put all this effort into creating a version of today’s world, it has to be more over the top, more insane, more in your face,” senior VP of narrative Rupert Humphries said to Love Magazine. “Otherwise, you could just go outside and live in the real world.”
Humphries also described the world of GTA 6 as “a pressure cooker for all kinds of insanity,” as the protagonists, Lucia Caminos and Jason Duval, are polar opposites. Game writer Elizabeth Gauvey-Kern described Lucina as an ambitious go-getter who’ll do anything to get the life she dreams of, while Jason is bound by life’s circumstances. “We wanted both protagonists to be vulnerable, tough, flawed, right sometimes, wrong sometimes, able to learn from each other,” Gauvey-Kern said.
GTA 6 is also making some big changes to the franchise formula, as getting out of trouble won’t be as easy as hiding in an alley and waiting for your wanted level to drop. Actions have consequences, and with the cops being much smarter and more persistent, players will have to be more cunning before they embark on a crime spree. The relationship between Jason and Lucia is also surprisingly more nuanced and deeper than you think, and it’ll be a major part of the overall GTA 6 experience when the game launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
With the wait almost over, the marketing machine for GTA 6 has begun to get into gear. Advertising has already taken over a Miami stadium, and the NBA’s Miami Heat have announced they’ll wear GTA 6-inspired jerseys when they face off against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 18. Rockstar Games also announced a $400 GTA 6 Collector’s Edition last week; while it doesn’t include the game, it does include various trinkets typically associated with users of the devil’s dandruff.
