The Grand Theft Auto franchise has always been quite popular with players who simply enjoy causing as much chaos as possible in games. With Grand Theft Auto 6, however, this might be a more challenging task. In an interview with IGN, Rockstar North’s co-studio head Rob Nelson has said that players won’t quite be as overpowered in GTA 6 as they were in previous games. Rather, the team wanted players to feel as fragile in the upcoming title as they did in Red Dead Redemption 2.
“In previous games, you’re quite overpowered in the world compared to everyone else apart from the cops, which can be fun, but not as fun, I don’t think, as having a world where there may be other people that have impulses on their own and act upon you. You are still powerful and capable, but you are not the only one capable of violence or the only one with weapons or the only crazy person out there. It makes the world far more unpredictable and interesting.”
Nelson said this in the context of the crime systems in Grand Theft Auto 6, which is designed to give players plenty of options for how they tackle challenges. This ties in with the Criminal Profile system, which has been described as a spiritual successor to the Honor system in Red Dead Redemption 2. Through this, players will be able to escalate situations in major ways. On the other hand, de-escalation is also possible.
“As much as possible, we tried to design the game so that you have options. Things can escalate quite quickly if you want them to, or people who don’t want to escalate can try to avoid it. It’s not always possible. To me that supports the narrative.”
“This is a story about a couple on the run. We have tried to make the systems and the design support our narrative when and wherever possible. Meaning, if you hit and run, commit a crime and run, get into trouble and move on before the cops get there, and you don’t start shooting people, don’t start escalating – which you absolutely can do if you want to – but if you don’t, you’re generally going to be fine.”
Much of the game design in Grand Theft Auto 6 revolves around giving players more choices, and Criminal Profiles will be smart enough to understand the context of players’ actions. Thanks to this, escalation from the in-game law enforcement only starts kicking in “when you go beyond what is necessary on a consistent basis, or you do completely unnecessary stuff consistently.”
Rockstar Games recently came off its Grand Theft Auto 6 Extended Look video, which featured 26 minutes of gameplay and story scenes from the upcoming title. The showcase has led to plenty of discussion amongst the gaming industry, and even IO Interactive’s AI programmer has said that the GTA 6 developer is “at least” a decade ahead of just about everyone else when it comes to its NPCs.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19th.
