Rockstar Games has been through A LOT recently. However, if we should point fingers at the high expectations towards the upcoming GTA intallment, it is all of the significant internal changes Rockstar has had. The company’s evolution has been a milestone and has immensely influenced its upcoming games.
How so?
Rockstar was one of the places you wouldn’t want to work at. In 2018, one of the founders, Dan Houser, said his team worked “100-hour-a-week” to deliver the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 on time. Employees also commented on the workplace environment. All were drinking and visiting stripclubs tend to be the butter and bread for the company. Unfortunately, this was the year that more than many employees spoke out.
Fortunately, Rockstar has taken another path and aims to evolve into a “more progressive and compassionate place to work.”
After the departure of Houser and Imran Sarwar (accused of verbal abuse), Rockstar took a turn and put in place a new structure that’ll benefit everyone in a good way—starting from gender-related issues. Unfortunately, the fact that the GTA franchise’s content wasn’t aligned with the new structure made them remove transphobic jokes from Grand Theft Auto V. They also removed the gender pay gap.
Employees now have mental health and leave benefits. They are allowed to take time off every time they work extra hours. The company promised no overtime would be needed to complete the GTA installment. More people arrived to make the work lighter.
And as good as this may sound, it has also led to deep questioning.
Will this make the release of GTA VI take longer? For sure. What will happen to this game after all the internal changes Rockstar has had? Will this new Rockstar be able to deliver a chart-topping caliber game the studio has become known for?
According to Bloomberg, all that Rockstar has been through will affect the upcoming GTA VI. Rumor has it that the lead would be a female this time to make a more significant change that matched the “new Rockstar.” A Latina protagonist could have a companion in a Bonnie and Clyde kind of story. Insider info has also revealed to Bloomberg that they are being super cautious not to “punch down” by making jokes about marginalized groups, the people said, in contrast to previous games.
These new measures to be politically correct and not put too much pressure on the people working on GTA VI puts two things on the table very clearly: it will not be a game similar to the previous installments, and it will take a while to get it ready for release.
What are your thoughts on Rockstar’s evolution? Are you looking forward to playing GTA VI? Let us know in the comment section!
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