GTA 6 Will Reportedly Feature First Female Protagonist and Vice City Setting, With More Cities Added Over Time

Grand Theft Auto 6 will feature a playable female protagonist for the first time in the series, according to Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier.

The new information regarding GTA 6 comes as part of a report into the recent change in culture at GTA developer Rockstar. In the leadup to the launch of Red Dead Redemption II, Rockstar came under fire when co-founder Dan Houser claimed that staff were putting in “100-hour work weeks”, which led to developers speaking out and sharing their experiences with crunch work at Rockstar.

Bloomberg reports that Rockstar has made some sweeping changes since then, reinventing itself as a more compassionate workplace, offering mental health support, flexitime, and, importantly, a promise of no necessary overtime.

Alongside this report also comes some new details on what to expect from GTA 6. The game will reportedly feature two leading characters, one of which is a Latina woman, in a story inspired by bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde. One side effect of the reduced working hours has been a reduced scope for GTA 6, which once was planned to take place across North and South America. 

Now, however, the main map has been cut down, and will be a fictional version of Miami and its surrounding areas, suggesting a return to Vice City. This will still be a large map, however, and denser than previous GTA games due to an increase in interior locations. Rockstar does also plan to expand the game over time, adding in new cities and missions on a regular basis. 

Bloomberg's report also states that Rockstar is attempting not to “punch down” by making jokes about marginalised groups, and there's a concern among developers that it's hard to even satirise modern America, given recent events.

You can read the full report over at Bloomberg here.