In the ever-evolving realm of gaming, few franchises have made a cultural impact as large as the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series. Since its inception in 1997, the franchise has been wildly popular amongst the internet population, reshaping the gaming landscape and pushing the boundaries of its ratings and realism in the industry.
The hype around the upcoming release GTA VI is unmatched, as some gamers have waited 10 years for its arrival. The Grand Theft Auto franchise, developed by Rockstar Games, has consistently raised the bar in terms of storytelling, open-world design, and visual graphics. Beginning with the top-down perspective of the original GTA, the series evolved into a 3D open-world format with GTA III setting the stage for a new era in gaming.
According to Esports.net, the franchise has continued to innovate, introducing memorable characters, stories, and massive open-world environments with each subsequent release. The introduction of GTA Online in Grand Theft Auto V marked a groundbreaking step into the active service gaming industry, allowing players to coexist in the city of Los Santos. Additional info on GTA V and Online can be found on computer storefront Steam. This led GTA V Online to be to one of the most profitable online games of all time.
Beyond its profitability according to CBC news, the Grand Theft Auto series has had a profound impact on pop culture. Since it’s launch the GTA franchise has been the subject of controversy centered on the role of violence and mature content in the games. They feature a caricature of American society depicted, coupled with a soundtrack that captures the essence of each era depicted in the games.
Linganore High School Senior and GTA Player Edward Slavin, demonstrated a clear understanding on how Grand Theft Auto has impacted the greater gaming community and culture.
“On the wider world, it’s had a huge impact,” Slavin said, “Twenty-five years ago, Half-Life defined the type of story a video game should have and a decade ago, GTA V defined what great storytelling in video games is. In addition to that, the graphics still hold up today.”
The franchise has become a platform for virtual creativity, modding communities producing a ton of custom expansion content, from new missions to entirely new game worlds. This has extended the lifespan of each title well beyond its initial release, fostering a dedicated and engaged fanbase. This new content is created by third party developers who have an extreme passion for the game and want to add additional functionality and new missions. Some of these mods include GTA V redux which improves the game’s textures and LSPDFR a mod that lets you play on the side of the police rather than the criminals.
As Rockstar Games has been rather quiet with the specifics of GTA VI, the gaming community is filled with speculation and excitement.
According to gaming news site Fandomwire, the modern rendition of Vice City, a setting from GTA: Vice City that is nostalgic to many gamers is paired with 4k graphics and with plenty of ways to interact has further generated hype among gamers.
One thing still left to speculation is the technical specifications required to run the game. Rockstar has confirmed GTA VI will not be released on previous generation consoles. Gamers will need an Xbox series S or X or a PS5 to run the game. A PC release is not yet confirmed by Rockstar, leaving that audience in the dark. Many PC and last gen console owners are up in arms about this decision. The decision to exclude previous generation consoles has sparked heated discussions within the gaming community.
Vintage games collector and Xbox user Matthew Schipani is one such gamer who’s Xbox One that will be left in the dust.
“It’s unreasonable and a horrible business decision,” Stated Schipani, “Previous generation consoles are more than capable of running GTA. This is just a shameless cash grab!”
As the anticipation for GTA VI continues to build, gamers worldwide eagerly await further details from Rockstar Games. Only time will reveal the true impact of GTA VI on the gaming world and whether Rockstar’s bold move will pay off in the eyes of it’s dedicated fanbase.
