(San Francisco) The Rockstar Games studio put online on Monday a first trailer for the next part of Grand Theft Auto (GTA), ten years after the release of the previous installment of the very popular and controversial action game.
The video broadcast on X and on YouTube shows a setting inspired by Miami, and, for the first time, a main female character. The release of this new opus, called GTA VI is planned for 2025.
The trailer was to be presented on Tuesday, but it “leaked”, indicated the studio, which therefore chose to broadcast it itself.
The highly anticipated video game will therefore return to “Vice City” (Miami) and once again promises fans the chance to play gangsters, from Florida villas to prison.
According to Rockstar Games’ parent company, the American company Take-Two, the entire franchise has sold 410 million copies worldwide, including 190 million for the latest opus. GTA V released in 2013 and record holder for industry sales in the United States both in volume and value.
But its success has not been without controversy, particularly because of the sulphurous aspect of the game which features individuals engaging in criminal behavior and which, according to its detractors, encourages players to reproduce their character’s actions themselves. , accusations rejected by Take-Two.
The franchise has been banned or restricted in several countries.
Duet à la “Bonnie and Clyde”
In previous episodes, players could play as a member of the Italian mafia in New York (or Liberty City), follow in the footsteps of Scarface hero Tony Montana in Miami (Vice City) or slip into the shoes of a former member gang in Los Angeles (Los Santos).
On the program: car thefts, robberies, chases, drug sales or street battles, with a soundtrack adapted to the era and style of the city you are crossing.
In the game, “I can behave in ways that would immediately get me into trouble in real life, or even risk prison or death,” said Wedbush analyst Nick McKay.
The game is intentionally politically incorrect, offering the player the freedom to act as they wish “with the devil on their shoulder,” adds Mr. McKay.
“In everyday life, our behavior is largely dictated by what society allows or prohibits us to do. In GTA everything is possible when you want it and if it has consequences, you just have to restart the game,” he explains.
Beyond the issue of violence, the series has been heavily criticized for its particularly misogynistic representations of women and caricatures of minorities, not to mention the scenes of torture.
This time, the trailer confirms rumors of a scenario with a “Bonnie and Clyde”-style criminal duo, including a playable female character, a first for GTA.