Grand Theft Auto VI will be released in 2025 and already promises lots of chases, parties on yachts and an… escaped alligator.
The video uploaded by Rockstar Games in 2013.
The studio had planned to air it on Tuesday, but decided to put it online early due to a “leak,” he said.
In the trailer, a prison guard asks a young woman in an orange jumpsuit worn by American prisoners: “Lucia, do you know why you are here?”
“Lack of luck, I guess?” replies Lucia, who we then see standing on the highway in a convertible, a wad of banknotes in her hand, in another car driven by a man. “The only way for us to get through this is to stay together,” she assures her companion.
The video thus conjures up a crime duo à la “Bonnie and Clyde” and confirms several rumors about the new episode, including those about the setting and a central, playable female character, a first for GTA.
This video has been viewed more than 42 million times on YouTube almost seven hours after it was posted.
According to the parent company of Rockstar Games, the American company Take-Two, the entire franchise has sold 410 million copies worldwide, including 190 million for the latest opus “Grand Theft Auto V”, released in 2013, and record holder for industry sales in the United States, both in terms of volume and value.
:quality(95)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/lescoopsdelinformation/D7DI6GDJGFFXDCA6TXOVJQMMJY.JPG "Grand Theft Auto VI will be released in 2025 and will have a female protagonist – La Voix de l'Est 3")
“Surreal Portrait of America”
However, its success was not without controversy, particularly due to the game’s sulphurous aspect, which revolves around individuals engaging in criminal behavior and which, according to its critics, encourages players to reproduce their own actions. Character, allegations dismissed by Take-Two.
The franchise has been banned or restricted in several countries.
In previous episodes, players could play as a member of the Italian Mafia in New York (or Liberty City), step into the shoes of Scarface hero Tony Montana in Miami (Vice City), or take on the role of a former gang member in Los Angeles (Los Santos).
On the program: car thefts, robberies, drug sales or street fights, against the backdrop of a soundtrack adapted to the era and style of the city passed through.
“Brother, this game will be a surreal portrait of America,” reacted Internet user AdequateAlien in one of the Reddit platform’s many forums dedicated to video games.
“From the psychedelic neon lights in the sky to the strange character encounters. I feel like I’m overdoing it with this game but it looks crazy,” the user continued.
GTA is deliberately politically incorrect, allowing players to “behave in ways that would immediately cause problems in real life or even risk prison or death,” says Wedbush analyst Nick McKay.
“Cartoonistic” depictions
“In everyday life, our behavior is largely determined by what society allows or prohibits us to do. In GTA, anything is possible whenever you want it and if it has consequences, you just have to restart the game,” he explains.
Beyond the issue of violence, the series was heavily criticized for its misogynistic depictions of women and caricatures of minorities, not to mention the torture scenes.
Certainly has Grand Theft Auto V does not include playable transgender characters, but “they are completely caricatured sex workers,” noted Blair Durkee, deputy director in charge of video games at GLAAD, an organization that defends LGBT+ rights, before the trailer’s release.
“We really want that Grand Theft Auto VI “takes a more comprehensive approach,” she emphasized.
Freedom of action in an ever-expanding universe is one of the keys to GTA’s success.
“I can follow the scripted story or just explore the world and cause chaos for fun,” recalls Mr. McKay, “there are few things that are impossible.”
Five years after the release of Grand Theft Auto V Rockstar Games had moved the GTA universe online, distilling new content while maintaining the interest of its massive community.