Rockstar 'Thankful' Grand Theft Auto 6 Release Isn't During Trump Era

Grand Theft Auto III made mainstream waves following its release, primarily due to the violence it featured. For those who enjoy GTA, however, the open-world and “do what you want” gameplay provides the biggest draw. Still, Rockstar’s golden child earns much acclaim because of cleverly written satire, which often acts as a commentary on American society. Some may be left wondering what the series would say about the nation’s current political climate. As far as Rockstar Co-founder Dan Houser is concerned, it’s a good thing we won’t find out.

In an interview with British GQ, Houser said he’s “thankful” for not releasing Grand Theft Auto 6 during Trump’s Presidency. According to Houser, who also serves as one of the studio’s senior writers, it’s difficult to determine how the team would address current events. Houser told GQ,

It’s really unclear what we would even do with it, let alone how upset people would get with whatever we did. Both intense liberal progression and intense conservatism are both very militant, and very angry. It is scary but it’s also strange, and yet both of them seem occasionally to veer towards the absurd. It’s hard to satirise for those reasons. Some of the stuff you see is straightforwardly beyond satire. It would be out of date within two minutes, everything is changing so fast.

Houser’s position certainly sounds reasonable. Were Rockstar to craft a narrative that leaned in any one direction, chaos of some fashion would undoubtedly ensue. The same is likely true if they were to maintain a neutral stance or fail to delve too deeply into current events at all. In many respects, Far Cry 5 received criticism for the latter.

Of particular interest regarding Houser’s comments is the mention of a GTA 6 in general. Prior to this, Rockstar hadn’t even acknowledged such a project’s potential existence. Years ago, a report surfaced that suggested the title was indeed in development and set in Tokyo. Barring its address of a false release date tease in GTA Online, Rockstar has never commented on speculation concerning GTA 6.

[Source: British GQ]