Though Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI is still roughly at least a year away, it’s now being reported that the highly anticipated sequel will feature a Latina woman in the lead.
In an extensive report from Jason Schreier for Bloomberg, numerous tantalizing details have surfaced. The biggest is the identity of one of the protagonists, which marks the first time in the series’ history that gamers will play as a woman. GTA VI will reportedly feature two main characters, with the story taking influence from Bonnie and Clyde. The last entry in the series featured three leads: Michael, Trevor, and Franklin.
Rumors regarding GTA’s first-ever female protagonist surfaced at the beginning of 2021, and many fans welcomed the news.
The next Grand Theft Auto is allegedly set to take place in a fictional version of Miami and its nearby areas. The developer originally intended to make the project the biggest GTA to date, with early designs including territories across both North and South America. Rockstar later reigned in those plans, and instead the goal is to add further content, including new cities, over time once the game is out. It’ll focus on offering more interior locations than any other game in the series.
Rockstar hopes to drop GTA VI in the 2024 fiscal year (which could be anytime between April 2023 and March 2024). Development started all the way back in 2014, although progress has been inconsistent, according to those close to the situation. The company’s last major release was Red Dead Redemption 2, which released on PS4 and Xbox One in 2018.
The Bloomberg piece comes as Rockstar has made efforts to crack down on its “frat boy” culture and reduce instances of crunch, where developers are forced to work overtime to meet strict deadlines. One of the ways the company has implemented change is a new management structure, and the firing of managers who allegedly engaged in “abusive” behavior.
In 2018, many Rockstar employees spoke out about the work environment, and it seems there’s been an extensive effort from management to make positive changes. As one employee told Schreier, Rockstar was “a boys’ club transformed into a real company.”
Additionally, employees have been cautioned against “punching down” against marginalized groups in their work, which stands in direct contrast to some of the more controversial aspects found in previous titles. The company notably removed a number of transphobic jokes from the re-release of Grand Theft Auto V on modern consoles and, per a recent Games Industry report. narrowed its gender pay gap.
Read the full piece, chock full of GTA VI details, here.
