In 2018, shortly after the release of Red Dead Redemption II, reports revealed that the work culture at Rockstar Games was less than ideal, with 100-hour workweeks, and a number of comments that completely avoided crunch issues, something that sounds pretty normal in this industry today. Four years after this, everything seems to indicate that the developers of Grand Theft Auto have completely changed their way of working, although this could well have consequences in GTA VI.
According to a new report from Bloomberg, the work culture within Rockstar Games has changed substantially compared to what was seen in 2018. For starters, there is talk of mental health support, flexible work hours, restructuring in various departments, and an environment that casts aside the problems that have plagued the video game industry in recent years. An anonymous employee went so far as to mention that Rockstar went from being “a boys’ club” to “a real company”.
However, it seems that these changes, which have improved the lives of employees, could well have consequences for the development of GTA VI. To begin with, it has been mentioned that this title does not require the extensive hours of work that characterized the studio’s previous titles. Along with this, it is pointed out that the new work culture and the current world situation have also influenced the way in which this game is taking shape.
The Bloomberg report has pointed out that GTA VI It will star two characters, described as Bonnie and Clyde. One of these is a Latin woman, which has a much better representation compared to what we have seen in the rest of the series. Alongside this, it has been mentioned that the developers are looking for a way not to mock “down”, that is, not to attack marginalized groups. This is something we have already seen in GTA V for PS5 and Xbox Series X | S, where several transphobic jokes were removed.
Still, some staff and players are concerned about what these changes mean for the essence of the series. For a long time now, Grand Theft Auto has been a critique of the culture of the United States, which has not limited itself to making fun of different social and cultural groups. However, with today’s America looking like a mockery of itself, and changes in workplace culture, some have begun to worry about the direction it will take GTA VI.
Other additional details, which seem not to worry so much, are that the title has the provisional name of Project Americas. The main location is a fictional version of Miami and its surroundings. The game will evolve over time, adding new cities. The game world is already big; more indoor locations than previous GTA games.
At the moment there is no release date, but we know Rockstar has been working on it for years GTA VI. On related issues, Rockstar would have canceled remasters of GTA IV Y Red Dead Redemption. Similarly, the content of Red Dead Online suffer for GTA VI.
Editor’s note:
I am completely in favor of all the changes that have been made within Rockstar. While it is true that vulgarity is part of the essence of GTA, we are no longer living in 2004, and many of the elements that we found in these games are relics of the past.
Via: Bloomberg
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