Rockstar Games is one of the most consistent developers around, consistently putting out hit after hit despite budgets ballooning and the studio’s output slowing down to a crawl in recent years.
Developing a video game is already hard enough, so the fact that the Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto developer can keep this up for as long as they have is nothing short of a miracle. One of the most highly anticipated releases in popular media and culture is still planned for release in the Fall of this year: Grand Theft Auto 6. It’s going to be big, beautiful, and, according to the game’s reveal trailer, feature lots of gators and the like.
However, it will be very challenging for the company to surpass their recent releases, specifically Red Dead Redemption 2, in so many ways. Can they top it?
For starters, Red Dead 2 takes place in a fictional representation of the Old West, offering a refreshing change from the constant city setting of previous years. Therefore, returning to the concrete jungle may lead to frustration for some players. Now, the devs could take inspiration from games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, as that title reinvented the open-world formula. That’s something big right there, because many fans criticised Red Dead Redemption 2 for using the same Rockstar design choices that have been used for years, and the game was often compared to Zelda.
It’s hard to say whether the devs should entirely rely on Breath of the Wild‘s setup for GTA 6, or if the game should only borrow some ideas, as people are obviously growing tired of the new style as well. Either way, the team should at least make an effort to modernise this GTA 6, instead of falling back on old habits. We just don’t want to have two separate games in the game anymore, ya know?
Another cause for concern is GTA 6‘s story, as indicated by the trailer, it appears that we will be returning to a more cynical portrayal of the USA. One of the best things about Red Dead 2 is that, although it is cynical, it also conveys a lot of warmth, making the player appreciate the beauty of nature, among other things. So, the tone of this new game is something to keep an eye on, as it could potentially push its message too far, causing players to either skip cutscenes or completely ignore the story altogether and do their own thing instead.
We also live in such a negative world at times that some might dread having to watch hours of Florida Man cutscenes. Additionally, top writer Dan Houser left the company in 2020, and there hasn’t been a new release since then, so we have yet to see what the team is capable of sans Houser. Hopefully, they can deliver in this aspect, as it could help to prop up the game if the Vice City setting suffers a little bit.
There are a few other concerns, too, such as the online mode potentially being filled with microtransactions and addictive practices once again, the game’s price, and how GTA 6 will stand out in a world of diminishing returns in terms of graphics. There’s a lot to be concerned about, but given Rockstar Games’ track record, yeah, this game is going to be cool. We hope at least…
