Huge New Details About GTA VI
In an exclusive interview with Game Informer, Rockstar has revealed a massive amount of information about GTA VI. This ranges from exploring the expectations that came with development, to a breakdown of the games setting, and even to discussing new gameplay features.
Exceeding Expectations
The interview begins with Rockstar Games’ head of development Aaron Garbut explaining why they chose to return to Vice City for GTA VI. A factor that stems from the monumental expectations facing any Rockstar title. Having come from the great success of GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2, the developers behind the upcoming GTA sequel knew that pushing the series further than ever before required some bold decisions. Garbut simply states that “the level for this game is frankly unprecedented and we don’t take that lightly.”
This was the deciding factor for featuring such a storied location like Vice City in GTA VI. “We needed a way to exceed those expectations, to deliver something that resonated both with ourselves and the players – and this location was the natural choice.” Rockstar present Vice City as the perfect backdrop for Grand Theft Auto. A place that embodies the chaotic, exceptionally American aspects of the series.
Vice City’s authenticity to GTA VI has been expanded to the cover a whole state itself. The fictional state for GTA VI, Leonida, is heavily based on Florida, and has been divided into six regions: Vice City, the Leonida Keys, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia, and Mount Kalaga National Park. “Part of the job of the game’s story is to bring the player around the map in a way that feels authentic and interesting.” Explained Rupert Humphries, Rockstar’s senior vice president of narrative. “We don’t have time to take you everywhere, but we want you to be able to explore and get a feel for most of the places, cultures, and vibes.” This coupled with the trips Rockstar took to Florida for study illustrate how far they are willing to go for immersion.
Whatever the Weather
The authenticity that Rockstar is trying to capture in GTA VI doesn’t stop at with its locations or narrative however. In another discussion with the vice president of art for lighting and rendering, Owen Shepherd, we get a new insight into how the skies above Leonida will behave during gameplay.
“We have re-engineered our weather system to make everything much more localized and persistent,” Shepherd explained, before further stating that they wanted to “achieve a sense of scale we haven’t felt before.” As an example, Leonida will featuring localized weather patterns. Meaning that during gameplay the weather can dynamically change from sun to cloud to rain as a player moves through the different regions of the map.
Shepherd even confirms that hurricanes can occur. The article describes how “heavy clouds, strong winds, dense atmospherics, and a lot of rain combine so that everything is dripping wet, water is gushing off roof edges and lampposts, thunder rumbles and flashes of lightning light up the clouds dramatically.”
Like Nothing Else
There is little doubt that GTA VI has become the most anticipated release of the year, and perhaps even the decade. There is even less uncertainty that Rockstar is going to have to move mountains to reach the expectations and hype surrounding its launch. It’s too early to say whether that’s been accomplished, but this statement from Garbut shows how Rockstar is aware and determined to make GTA VI the largest launch the studio has ever seen. “As the pressure for us on this project is huge, we dealt with that by doing our best to overdeliver. I don’t think we have ever created anything close to this before.”
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