The highly-anticipated next installment of the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise will feature a playable female protagonist for the first time, according to a report.
Developer Rockstar Games first announced it was working on GTA VI earlier this year, writing in a February statement that ‘active development of the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is well under way’.
Now a report in Bloomberg reveals that GTA VI will be the first to let players take on the role of a female lead character in its story mode.
The woman, who is said to be ‘Latina’, reportedly will be one of a pair of leading characters in a story influenced by the bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde.
People familiar with the game told Bloomberg that developers are being cautious not to ‘punch down’ by making jokes about marginalised groups, in contrast to previous games.
The woman, who is said to be ‘Latina’, reportedly will be one of a pair of leading characters in a story influenced by the bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde (stock picture)
The report also includes new details on the game’s setting, which will apparently be a fictionalised version of Miami.
Industry analysts expect it to launch by March 2024, but developers suggested a release date could be even further away.
The news comes amid a push by Rockstar Games, a division of Take-Two Interactive Software, to clean up its macho image.
The GTA games are notorious for their satirical depiction of America, in which players take on the roles of gangsters who kill civilians, and women are generally depicted as sex objects.
Until recently, the tone inside the company reportedly mirrored that of the game, with Rockstar employees describing a workplace culture of drinking, brawling and excursions to strip clubs.
This reached a tipping point in 2018, however, when the ‘culture of crunch, bullying, and frat-house antics’ led to a worker revolt.
Since then, Rockstar has ousted managers accused of abuse and promised to cut down on overtime, in an attempt to reinvent itself as a more progressive and compassionate company.
People familiar with the game told Bloomberg that developers are being cautious not to ‘punch down’ by making jokes about marginalised groups, in contrast to previous games.
It has also taken a series of politically-sensitive actions, including removing transphobic jokes from the most recent console release of GTA V, and significantly narrowing its gender pay gap.
In 2020, after a police officer killed George Floyd, the company quietly shelved a mode of play for GTA Online based on the children’s game Cops ‘n’ Crooks, after senior executives expressed concern it might appear tone-deaf.
The news that one of the protagonists of Rockstar’s next flagship title will be a woman appears to be the latest step in the company’s strategy to reform its image.
Although there have technically been playable female characters in GTA games before, these weren’t fully-voiced characters with their own personalities.
It is thought that the female protagonist of GTA VI will be fleshed-out and developed to the same level as well-known male protagonists, such as CJ or Tommy Vercetti.
Do YOU have what it takes to become a professional gamer? Experts say 9-inches is the optimal handspan
Size really does matter – at least when it comes to gamers’ hands.
In a new study commissioned by Stakester, Dr Lindsey Migliore, an established e-sports physician, set out to uncover the ideal hand size for professional gamers.
Dr Migliore examined over 90 gamers aged 18-44, and compared their hand measurements to their gaming success across popular games including Call of Duty, Fifa and Mario Kart.
The results showed that the ideal size of the fingers varies depending on the game.
Gamers with small fingers were found to be better at high intensity games like Mario Kart.
However, those with large fingers were better at longer games that require more stamina, including Call of Duty and Fifa.
Advertisement
