Grand Theft Auto VI
Grand Theft Auto VI[2] is an upcoming video game which will be published by Rockstar Games.[3] It is due to be the seventeenth installment in the Grand Theft Auto series, and the seventh HD Universe title of the series. The game's official name was revealed in the first trailer on December 4, 2023, at 6:00PM US Eastern Time.
Plot
The story is expected to follow criminal duo Lucia and her male accomplice, whose name has yet to be officially revealed. The game's synopsis is also currently unknown.
Setting
The game takes place in several counties in the State of Leonida, including Vice-Dale County (home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City).
To date, three counties have been identified by name via trailers and promotional material. The entire playable area of Leonida has yet to be officially revealed.
Development
The game was first confirmed to be under active development by Rockstar Games on February 4, 2022, with a promise to provide more details in the future.[4]
On July 7, 2022, in a further post on their newswire, Rockstar confirmed that over the past few years, they had steadily been moving more resources and staff "towards the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series - understanding more than ever the need to exceed players’ expectations and for this next entry to be the best it can possibly be".[5]
On August 8, 2022, Take-Two Interactive confirmed in their Q1 2023 Earnings Call that "development [of the next GTA game] is well underway, they're [Rockstar] determined to set creative benchmarks for the series, industry and entertainment."[6]
On May 17, 2023, Take-Two confirmed in their Q4 2023 Earnings Call that "active development for the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is well underway". In the same call, Take-Two also confirmed that they were expecting to release a number of "ground-breaking titles" in Fiscal Year 2025 which will "allow us to achieve over $8 billion in Net Bookings".[7]
With the release of the game's first trailer on December 4, 2023, the game's official name, Grand Theft Auto VI, was finally confirmed.[2] Shortly after the trailer's release, Take-Two Games published their acclamation on Rockstar Games' upcoming 2025 release.[3]
Announcement
On behalf of our entire team, we thank you all for your support and cannot wait to step into the future with you!
The first official announcement for the next Grand Theft Auto title was in February 2022, on the Rockstar Newswire.[4]
On November 8, 2023, in a thank you post celebrating Rockstar Games' 25th anniversary, Rockstar confirmed that the first trailer for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto game would be released in "early December" of the same year.[8]
On December 1, 2023, Rockstar further confirmed that the first trailer for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto game would be released on December 5, 2023 at 9:00 AM US Eastern Time.[9] A one-time overlay appeared on Rockstar's official website, featuring palm trees against a sunset backdrop, with the trailer date and time displayed. Subsequent to the trailer announcement, Rockstar Games concealed all previous posts on their Instagram feed.
Less than 16 hours before Trailer 1's scheduled release, the trailer was leaked online.[10] Almost immediately, Rockstar Games brought ahead the trailer's release, and shortlisted the YouTube Premiere at 6:00 PM US Eastern Time.[11] The trailer amassed over 90 million video views within its first 24 hours, making it the second most viral YouTube video of all time.[12] The official Guinness World Records announced that the first trailer had broken 3 previous records for most viewed videogame reveal on YouTube in 24 hours (at 90,421,491 views), most liked videogame trailer on YouTube (with 8.9 million likes in the first 24 hours) and most viewed YouTube video in 24 hours (non-music) (surpassing Mr Beast's "Every Country On Earth Fights For $250,000").[13]
Controversy
September 2022 leaks
On September 18, 2022, a new user on GTAForums.com called 'teapotuberhacker' posted download links to over 90 videos and screenshots purporting to be of the next Grand Theft Auto game. This apparent leak spread like wildfire across the internet in a single day, with countless news outlets reporting the leak as one of, if not the "biggest in video game history".[14][15][16] The leaked videos showed behind-the-scenes development logs of the next Grand Theft Auto and revealed details such as character and location names. Within hours, Take-Two Interactive issued takedown notices for any sites hosting the videos and/or still images[17] and the GTA Forums threads were removed and/or locked at Take-Two's request[18]. One day later, on September 19, 2022, Rockstar Games released a statement condemning the hacker and promised players that disruption to live game services or upcoming titles was not expected at this time. They also promised to introduce players to the game "when it is ready".[19] Take-Two Interactive also filed notice of the breach with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on September 19.
The hacker's identity was eventually revealed to be Arion Kurtaj, a 17-year-old boy from Oxfordshire who has acute autism and performed the data breach using just an Amazon Firestick, mobile phone and a hotel TV. In December 2023, he was placed under an indefinite hospital order by a judge for being a high public risk as he expressed intent to continue cybercrime. [20] Another Lapsus$ member, who is 17 and cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty in the same trial of two counts of fraud, two Computer Misuse Act offences and one count of blackmail. He was sentenced to a youth rehabilitation order at Guildford crown court in Surrey on December 21, 2023.[21]
Gallery
Artworks
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Official artwork for Grand Theft Auto VI, appearing on Grand Theft Auto VI's Trailer 1.
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Official artwork for Grand Theft Auto VI, in a 1:1 format.
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Uncropped and textless version of the aforementioned artwork.
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The announcement for the release date of Grand Theft Auto VI's Trailer 1.
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Upcoming Grand Theft Auto Trailer 1 announcement artwork appearing on Rockstar Games' social media and website on December 1, 2023.
Trailers
Main article: /Trailers
{{#ev:youtube|QdBZY2fkU-0|275px|center|Watch Trailer 1: Tuesday, December 5 at 9AM ET}}
Trivia
- The game was first confirmed to be set in the HD Universe through debug test footage for an idle dialogue scenario that appeared in the September 2022 GTA VI leaks, with direct mentions of the Jay Norris Incident.
- The game features the first voiced female protagonist of the series (previous female protagonists were depicted as silent criminals).
- The game appears to be the first numbered title since Grand Theft Auto III to use the "subtitle version" of GTA's Pricedown logo.
- Following Rockstar Games' confirmation of the release date for the upcoming GTA's first trailer, a number of game studios posted dummy trailer/update announcements on X with almost identical styles, color schemes and release dates to that of the upcoming GTA title's announcement. These included Mediatonic's Fall Guys[22], 343 Industries' Halo[23] and Raven Software's Call of Duty[24].
- The reveal of State of Leonida in the first trailer retcons the few mentions to Florida in Grand Theft Auto IV by Niko Bellic, Hossan Ramzy, and Weazel News. However, the game appears to be faithfully following the HD Universe's Vice City lore established since Grand Theft Auto IV, in terms of geographical characteristics and ethnic makeup.
- The first trailer also implies that Grove Street Games used assets from Grand Theft Auto VI during the development of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition in 2021 (e.g. Daewang logo).
External Links
References
es:Grand Theft Auto VI fr:Grand Theft Auto VI pt:Grand Theft Auto VI ru:Grand Theft Auto VI uk:Grand Theft Auto VI zh:侠盗猎车手VI
