GTA 6 IS REPORTEDLY CLEANING UP ITS ACT
By NATHAN SIMMONS
Gaming - News
If recent reports prove to be accurate, it sounds as if the "Grand Theft Auto" series — and Rockstar Games — will be moving in a more positive and inclusive direction. “Grand Theft Auto 6” will mark the first game in the series to feature a playable female character: This unnamed, Latina protagonist is said to be part of a bank-robbing duo inspired by Bonnie and Clyde.
Beyond adding a woman as a protagonist to the game, Rockstar is said to be avoiding jokes making fun of minorities and marginalized groups of people. This seems in line with recent changes Rockstar has made to its back catalogue, including the removal of jokes at the expense of transgender women in the next-gen reissue of “Grand Theft Auto 5.”
It's also been reported that the publisher has been working towards creating a better culture for employees and fans. One of these efforts is to curtail its infamous crunch culture, which previously saw employees working excruciating schedules full of overtime to produce games like "Red Dead Redemption 2" and "GTA Online."
Although morale is reportedly higher at Rockstar than ever before, some sacrifices have been made. Between the pandemic and Rockstar's new no-crunch stance, the development of "GTA 6" has stretched much longer than anyone expected — still, it is much better for the developers in the long run, and theoretically means the final product will be stronger and worth the wait.
