Grand Theft Auto 6 dev Rob Nelson has admitted that Rockstar Games is being more “careful” with their iconic satire and parodies in GTA 6.
Alongside stealing cars, gunning down enemies, and earning respect from your fellow gangsters, there are plenty of other iconic things from the Grand Theft Auto series.
One of the biggest is Rockstar Games’ ability to satirise the world around them. This includes mocking political figures and celebrities, viral real-life moments, and poking fun at massive corporations as well.
Heading into Grand Theft Auto 6, there have been some fears that Rockstar would have to tone things down to a level where it’s completely different to any other GTA game that has gone before it.
Rockstar doesn’t want GTA 6 to feel “dated” with its memes
Speaking to IGN following the extended look at the game on Netflix, Rockstar’s Rob Nelson admitted that they do need to be “careful” with things in GTA 6.
“We have to be careful that what we’re choosing to satirize is not going to feel dated in a weird way. I think those broader things are OK to satirize, but very specific political issues or memes will date fast,” he said.
“Even the way our characters speak, we think about it a lot, so that they’re not using extremely contemporary slang. Even though our characters are a certain age, they need to feel somewhat timeless.”
Nelson noted that the development cycle covers such a long period that the devs can’t just “jump on stuff” in the moment.
The long-time Rockstar dev also told IGN that they know players are expecting “perfect” from GTA 6, and they are “nervous” but “excited” for everyone to get their hands on it.
He also noted that the game almost had four playable main characters before they decided on just having Jason and Lucia. The pair do not have to be romantically involved while you’re playing through GTA 6, but they can be, if you so choose.
