Rumors aboutGrand Theft Auto 6have been plentiful in the past year, with speculation on everything from the game’s setting to release date. Rockstar, however, has increasingly spoken on the difficulties of developing aGTAgame at the present time, with even some of the voice talents behind the last game chipping in to give their two cents.
Fans who are hoping thatGrand Theft Auto 6is just around the corner will likely be disappointed. Leaked details and comments from former developers point to the next game in the iconic series being a long way away. However, they also point to some clear reasons that waiting a little longer may be the best thing for the franchise moving forward.
RELATED:Grand Theft Auto 6 Should Keep One Big GTA 5 Feature
Comments from Actors and Developers
GTA 5’s three main voice actorshave all been vocal on the wait for GTA 6. Speculation thatGTA 6was on the way was sent into overdrive in 2019, when Trevor’s voice actor Steven Ogg commented that fans could “do the math” to figure out when to expect the next game sinceGrand Theft Autogames tend to take “7 or 8 years to make.” This led to many fans hoping thatGTA 6would be released in 2020, seven years after the release of the last game. However, not only would this not prove true, but two other cast members would comment on the rumors.
Ned Luke, Michael De Santa’s voice actor, warned fans not to “believe anything you see on the internet,” adding that people should ignore speculation and advising people to only trust information “if you hear it from Rockstar.”Franklin’s voice actor Shawn Fontenowould speak up as well, encouraging patience and saying that “it’s a process to make these games.”
The co-founder ofRockstar, Dan Houser, commented on the difficulty of creatingGTA 6before his departure from the studio he helped create. Houser stressed the difficulty of applyingGTA’s trademark satire to an American culture currently so politically divided, and talked about the fear of upsetting fans as a big roadblock in the development of the next game.
RELATED:Grand Theft Auto 6 Release Date: Every Rumor and Theory
The GTA “Leaks”
There has been some evidence thatGTA 6is in production. Reddit user Fresh305954 claimed that Rockstar scouts were photographing interiors in Miami for a future game set in Vice City back in 2019, and provided an image of a contract which seemed to show that a Rockstar team was photographing the Wynwood neighborhood as inspiration for the next game. This added credence to rumors from back in 2018 that the nextGTAwas codenamed “Project Americas” and would take place in fictionalized locations based on Miami and South America.
However, speculation that Vice City will be included in the nextGTAhas been around sinceGTA 5was announced to return players to Los Santos. This left Vice City one of few major locations from earlier games not to be revived in later installments, withLiberty Cityreturning inGrand Theft Auto 4. Not only have there been no updates from Rockstar to lend additional credence to these rumors, but as more time passes the likelihood that the leaks were real appears increasingly unlikely, not to mention potential delays caused by COVID-19. Even a recently leaked map was proved to be a fake.
However, a longer wait forGTA 6could be a good thing. It could allow Rockstar the time to figure out how to tackle aGTAgame in the 2020s, and what direction the series needs to go in to keep its comedic edge. It could allow for the setting,Vice Cityor otherwise, to be fully fleshed out in a new engine designed for the next-gen consoles. Most of all, compared to other series, it could help keep the release of aGTAgame feeling like a generational event rather than a frequent occurrence. For now, however, fans will have to continue to wait for news from Rockstar, and with few hints at news coming any time soon, patience may be the name of the game.
