GTA 6

Grand Theft Auto 6 will have two playable characters, one of which is a female of Latina origin, a new Bloomberg report claims. Penned by Jason Schreier, the game's story is said to be influenced by bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde. Rockstar is being careful not to "punch down" to marginalized groups of society as the firm tries to do better when compared to past instalments in the blockbuster franchise. This will be the first time a GTA game includes a playable female lead since the PS1 original.

Additionally, the report says Rockstar plans to update GTA 6 with new missions and cities "on a regular basis" — more interiors are part of the game than any other instalment. The current plan is for the map to cover Miami and its surrounding areas. Those interviewed for the piece say a firm release date hasn't been set internally, but "they expect the game to be at least two years away".

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The claims are made in a wider article about the inner workings of Rockstar, its culture, and the long process of developing GTA 6. In the lead-up to the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018, suggestions were made that employees were working up to 100 hours per week to get the huge project out the door.

In response to the internal outcry, "Rockstar has attempted to reinvent itself as a more progressive and compassionate workplace, according to interviews with more than 20 people who work there or left recently".

Morale is said to be "higher than it's ever been", according to the report, but fans of the GTA series will still have to wait a long time before the sixth mainline entry is ready for release. The COVID-19 pandemic has played a large part in that, but so too has company restructuring. A pledge has been made to keep overtime "under control", and new mental health and leave benefits have been introduced. For example, a new scheme called Flexitime allows staff to "immediately take time off for every extra hour they work".

[source bloomberg.com]