Development for GTA 6 is ‘well underway’ and will set a ‘benchmark’ for the series

Grand Theft Auto VI is well underway and will set a new ‘benchmark’ for the video game series, as it will vastly differ from its predecessors.

According to Take-Two Interactive, owner of Rockstar Games and developers of the GTA series, the new instalment will take the game to new heights.

The company’s CEO Strauss Zelnick said in a statement: “Sales of Grand Theft Auto V also remained strong, and to date, the title has sold-in nearly 170 million units.

“With development of the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series well underway, the Rockstar Games team is determined to once again set creative benchmarks for the series, our industry, and for all entertainment, just as the label has done with every one of their frontline releases.”

While Rockstar Games confirmed that it was progressing in February, there were very few updates about the game as we’re sure its developers have been sworn to secrecy.

However, there have been some leaks that the upcoming game will be a better, polished version than previous games in the GTA universe.

Most recently, Bloomberg revealed that in GTA 6, one of the two leads would be a female Latina, with a storyline influenced by the notorious Bonnie and Clyde.

According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, the game would also not include dialogue or jokes that would ‘punch down’ marginalised groups after receiving backlash for their ‘transphobic’ content.

He added: “Production on Grand Theft Auto VI has been slower than expected, largely due to the pandemic but also due to these changes, as employees grow accustomed to working at this new Rockstar.

“But many say morale is higher than ever and that the cultural changes are well worth it.”

Earlier this year, Rockstar Games removed the content from GTA 5 and GTA online after facing pressure from Out Making Games (OMG), an organisation working to unite the LGBTQ+ community in the gaming industry.

OMG penned an open letter to Rockstar Games demanding them to remove insensitive content that leads to ‘extremely harmful stereotypes of trans and gender diverse people’.

They wrote in part: “We would like to hear back about your plans to address the issue of portrayals of trans and gender diverse characters in GTAV.

“If you are not sure where to start, please let us know and we can begin a discussion about the changes you can make to in-game portrayals to help save trans lives.”