‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ Reportedly Has a Female Lead

Grand Theft Auto VI may reflect evolving social attitudes as much as the gameplay. Bloomberg sources claim that Rockstar’s future open-world title will feature the franchise’s first playable female lead character. The Latina woman will reportedly be part of a Bonnie and Clyde inspired duo at the heart of the story. Developers are also trying to shake off past transphobia reputations and won’t joke about marginalized groups, the tipsters said.

Rockstar’s attempt to avoid crunch time is also impacting both the size and release date of the game, according to the sources. GTA VI was supposedly intended to cover large parts of the Americas, but was reduced to a fictionalized version of the Miami area (presumably Vice City). And while financial analysts are predicting a release sometime between April 2023 and March 2024, Bloomberg‘s contacts think the game is “at least” two years away.

The company has apparently revised its design and management structures to reduce the need for excessive working hours. It reportedly added team members, created more opportunities for free time, and fired leaders who were allegedly abusive or difficult. While the insiders described problems with bureaucratic overhead and some frustration at a lack of progress, many employees would be happy with the reduced workload.

In any case, there is sufficient financial breathing room. GTA V and GTA Online has enjoyed success for years. GTA V only the top 20 annual bestsellers from the NPD Group in 2020and that was because NPD stopped tracking digital sales from Rockstar parent company Take-Two. GTAOis so popular, meanwhile, that Rockstar launched a GTA+ subscription service this year to take advantage of the game’s biggest fans. GTA VI may come more than a decade after its predecessor, but the makers won’t be much bothered by the long wait.