Grand Theft Auto fans have been patiently waiting for the next iteration of the series; however, recent changes within Rockstar Games may make the next GTA game a lot different than its predecessors. Grand Theft Auto 6 has been in development to some capacity since 2014, the year after the release of Grand Theft Auto V. No release date has yet been given, though rumors are constantly circulating.
Rockstar Games was founded in 1998 and is well known for its Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption series. Grand Theft Auto 6 will actually be the eighth mainline Grand Theft Auto game, with GTA III forming a trilogy alongside Vice City and San Andreas. While some of GTA 6's release delays stem from COVID-19, others are related to a shakeup within the company and a change of workplace culture, which has lead to an extensive GTA 6 rumor timeline across the years.
According to a recent Bloomberg article, Rockstar Games has reinvented itself as a more progressive and employee-friendly company, and this change in workplace culture is seeping into its titles as well. Grand Theft Auto 6 is going to end up being a very different game than its predecessors, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The game has already seemingly undergone some story changes and conceptual shifts.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Will Reflect Changes At Rockstar Games
According to Bloomberg, Grand Theft Auto 6 was originally slated to cover large swaths of territory throughout North and South America, but this has been currently downsized to a fictional Miami. Rockstar Games also plans to update the game over time, adding new missions and cities. These changes are taking place due to Rockstar focusing more on the wellbeing of their employees. Previously, Rockstar focused on seven day work weeks, extreme amounts of overtime ( developers worked 100-hour weeks), and constant deadline pressure. Rockstar has pledged to change this and so far it seems like they have. The Bloomberg piece purports:
The transformation of Rockstar includes changes to scheduling, converting contractors to full-time employees and the ouster of several managers that employees saw as abusive or difficult to work with [...] Employees have been given new mental health and leave benefits. A new policy called “flexitime” allows staff to immediately take time off for every extra hour they work.
Rockstar Games also cancelled a game mode in Grand Theft Auto Online called Cops 'n' Crooks in light of the George Floyd murder by a police officer in 2020; Rockstar even matched employee donations to Black Lives Matters charities after. The developer has also increasingly narrowed the gender pay gap within the company. Rockstar also plans to avoid making jokes against marginalized groups and even removed transphobic jokes from recent releases of Grand Theft Auto 5. Additionally, for the first time in the history of Grand Theft Auto, GTA 6 will have a female, Latina protagonist.
Rockstar Games has done its best to reinvent itself as a more progressive and employee-friendly company in the last few years, and this seems to have had an impact on its games, including Grand Theft Auto 6. According to the deluge of new information, GTA 6's regular updates and additional missions added over time are to avoid forcing employees into working an unhealthy amount. Players won't know what other effects the changes Rockstar Games are making will have on its future games until Grand Theft Auto 6 is eventually released.
Source: Bloomberg