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Ahead of the release of GTA 6, Rockstar has stated that the game will not target real-world news or specific events, persons, or movements, opting instead to satirize an invented world. In an interview with the Paris fashion magazine Love, reported via Eurogamer, the studio detailed its satirical approach for the series, explaining that creating an original universe prevents the title from feeling dated upon release.
Rupert Humphries, Rockstar's senior vice president of narrative, noted that the series has historically avoided deep focus on national politics, with GTA IV serving as an exception due to its post-attack New York setting. Humphries added that while Florida provides ample material, the studio builds its world through characters and cultural conflicts rather than direct mirrors, using environmental storytelling elements such as election signs, automated campaign calls, radio advertisements, and political talk shows.
Humphries compared this worldbuilding methodology to Red Dead Redemption 2, aiming to make everything larger than life and grotesque rather than simply replicating the actual world. Additionally, Rob Nelson, co-lead at Rockstar North, explained in the same interview that the team made concessions regarding realism to keep the game enjoyable, noting that excessive realism can become tedious.
GTA 6 is scheduled to release on Xbox Series X/S and PS5 on November 19.
