Report: Grand Theft Auto 6 Co-Stars A Female Protagonist, Rockstar Adopts More Progressive Studio Culture

gameinformer.com:

Bloomberg posted a new report about Grand Theft Auto 6's development, based on sources close to or within Rockstar Games. The details discuss how a revamped and improved studio culture has influenced the game's design, including its playable protagonists, writing, and tone. 

GTA 6, which Rockstar confirmed was in active development in February, will reportedly star two playable bank robbers in a Bonnie and Clyde-inspired tale, and the female protagonist, a first for the series, will be Latina. The game is set in a modern-day, fictionalized Miami and its surrounding areas, which signals a return to Vice City. Despite being set in a single city, the game is said to already have more interior locations than any GTA game. Still, the studio plans to regularly update GTA 6 over time to add more missions and even cities. Bloomberg reports that GTA 6 may arrive sometime before March 2024. However, sources tell the publication that some developers within Rockstar are skeptical that the game will hit that timeframe.  

The report also states that GTA 6 was initially codenamed Project Americas and has been in the works since 2014. However, development proceeded slower than usual, partly due to Rockstar's desire to adopt healthier work schedules to avoid crunch, especially in the wake of workplace abuse reports that arose during Red Dead Redemption 2's development. Rockstar has enacted policies such as converting contractors to full-time employees, hiring more producers to reduce workloads, improving mental health benefits, and has weeded out problematic staff members. Studio morale has reportedly been very high as a result of these changes. 

This move is part of a larger, more progressive restructuring at the studio to erase what