GTA VI: how to get ready and what we need to know about the most eagerly awaited video game of the year
The Rockstar Games title is due for release on 19 November. Publisher Take-Two is forecasting sales of over 3 billion dollars by the end of the year. Here’s how Grand Theft Auto is changing. Our guide
GTA’s DNA remains that of GTA, so let’s not expect any ‘woke’ tendencies, nods to Trump or attempts to pander to Gen Z. No revolutions for GTA 6. But the plot twist – the twist – will certainly be there. As has emerged, at the heart of this new instalment lie human relationships and matters of the heart. Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, the two protagonists, will ‘play out’ a love story that will, in some way, influence everything that happens throughout the game. For the first time, Rockstar Games is featuring a playable couple in its Grand Theft Auto series. However, it will be up to the player to decide whether love develops alongside their partnership.
The GTA media event
The launch of GTA VI, due to take place on 19 November on consoles and PC, is eagerly awaited not only by fans of the series. Rockstar Games has been working on the latest instalment in the franchise for around 11 years. Over the past decade, the video game industry has fallen on hard times. That is why the company is now seen by industry insiders as the frontrunner to save or revitalise the console market. Consequently, expectations are rather high – as are the financial forecasts.
For October–December, Take-Two, Rockstar’s publisher, forecasts net bookings (products and services sold) of between 3.35 and 3.5 billion, more than double the figure for the quarter just ended. In its first year, GTA V grossed 1.658 billion. If DFC’s estimates hold true, GTA VI would double that figure in twelve months, and would even surpass Avatar, the highest-grossing film in history, which has grossed 2.9 billion over its entire run. We are therefore talking about an unprecedented launch. As emerged during yesterday’s meeting with analysts, operating costs for the launch marketing campaign are set to rise by around 21 per cent year-on-year over the same period. The city of Miami – which has been recreated within GTA (along with South Florida) under the name Vice City – is the focus of a multi-million campaign that has sparked no small amount of controversy. In addition to illuminated signage at the Miami Heat arena, beach-based initiatives and even a sponsored airship, a music festival featuring big names such as Travis Scott has also been announced.
So, what do we know about the game?
Jason Duval is a former soldier who works for drug traffickers. Lucia Caminos has just been released from prison. Fate brings them together, and from that moment on, their ‘playground’ will be Leonida, Rockstar’s fictional version of Florida. As in GTA V, you switch characters when the story allows. You can work as a pair or go it alone. Even a kayak trip between missions helps to nurture their relationship. A small but novel detail for the series: Jason and Lucia can walk hand in hand. It’s a simple mechanic, never before seen in a video game of this type where you essentially simulate a life of crime.
What changes when you fire a shot
The stars indicate how intense the police chase is, just as in the other chapters. However, there is a change to some of the gameplay mechanics. The Criminal Profile, for example, keeps track of how each of the two characters commits their crimes. You can shoot near the officers to buy time to escape or aim for the patrol car’s tyres. According to rumours circulating online, if you resort to violence too often, the icon may shatter and lock the profile for the rest of the game. The game, however, won’t be sugar-coated; it remains a criminal life simulator but, above all, a sharp and irreverent parody of American society. No current affairs or references to Trump. Anyone familiar with the Rockstar Games series knows that at its heart lie the quirks of America, the rhetoric of the winners, but also Big Tech and the follies of a culture that has produced ‘monsters’ and unattainable icons. In addition to the radio stations, there are on-demand podcasts, to listen to in the car or whilst out and about with headphones. The endings may depend on a combination of these factors: the type of relationship, the Criminal Profile, certain plot choices and, to a lesser extent, the money accumulated. Players who act recklessly and ignore their partner reach one ending; the professional criminal in love reaches a completely different one.
