Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to feature a playable female protagonist for the first time in the GTA series.
Sources close to Rockstar Games claim the game will be centered around a couple inspired by infamous bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde.
READ MORE: Grand Theft Auto 6 officially enters development
Bloomberg claims the female protagonist will be a Latina, although no details about their partner have been mentioned.
The decision comes as part of a rebrand for the GTA developer.
While Grand Theft Auto has always been a game centered around gang activity in a satirical version of America, Rockstar will be dialling back the offensiveness for GTA 6.
The company is committing to not including jokes that “punch down” at marginalized groups.
That’s a far cry from past games, with the company having to remove transphobic jokes from Grand Theft Auto V when remastering it for next-gen consoles.
What else do we know about Grand Theft Auto 6 so far?
While the introduction of a female protagonist is big news, there are a few other key bits of information about GTA 6 that have leaked.
The internal project name for GTA 6 is ‘Project Americas’, with Rockstar originally hoping to include parts of North and South America.
Instead, it’s believed this idea has been roped in and the game will be based in a fictionalized version of Miami to start with.
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From there, new cities will be added to the playable map over time; the hope is that this will quicken and streamline the game’s initial launch.
Based off growth expectations Rockstar divulged in documents relating to its takeover of mobile game company Zynga, Cowen financial analyst Doug Creutz says it points to “a likely GTA 6 launch in FY24.”
This at least gives us a window in which to expect the game to launch: between April 2023 and March 2024.
However, Bloomberg notes many insiders believe the game to still be closer to two years away.
It’s understood a group of designers quit Rockstar’s office in Edinburgh, Scotland earlier this year due to the lack of progress on GTA 6.
Earlier this month, it was confirmed that the game had entered development, with planned remasters of old GTA instalments shelved.
Its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto V, is the second-best selling game of all time, so GTA 6 has some big shoes to fill.
