With E3 over until next year, it’s hard not to notice the Rockstar-sized hole that was missing from the conference. While there were plenty of rumors about parent company Take-Two making a big reveal during the event, Rockstar did not unveil anything in the way of either a Red Dead sequel or Grand Theft Auto 6.
There are reports that Rockstar decided not to show its violent trailer for the new Red Dead game following the horrific events in Orlando, although Adam Boyes, the vice-president of third-party relations at PlayStation, says the company never intended to show a Rockstar game in the first place.
If Rockstar is indeed working on a Red Dead sequel, then it may be some time before we see the videogame developer return to making present-day criminal games. This isn’t stopping early rumors about GTA 6 from blossoming, though.
GTA 6 – A return to The Big Smoke?
Among several reports include speculation that the next Grand Theft Auto title could potentially depart American shores in favor of The Big Smoke, London. While there isn’t anything close to solid evidence backing this claim up, several different reports have echoed back the same speculation.
Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser has said in the past that they do not want to limit the Grand Theft Auto franchise to the American culture as their previous games have already shown. They are looking to expand their horizons with the franchise, and, perhaps, the next sequels could be their first step in doing so.
While a London-based return would certainly be great, Grand Theft Auto over the years has become completely intertwined with its satirical version of the United States. Moving locations would involve a massive shift in the core tone and thematic materials of the game series.
However, with Rockstar’s deep British heritage, rumors of a new London setting may not come as a complete surprise to many gamers. Rockstar released Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969 back in 1999 to huge acclaim, and the idea of going back to the game’s roots would arguably not only have a large amount of nostalgic value, but would supply heaps of entertainment as well.
“At the moment, it feels like GTA’s DNA is contemporary-ish, American-ish, English-speaking-ish, because that’s what it has been,” Dan Houser said. “But that doesn’t necessarily limit it to those, that’s just what we’ve done so far.”
Rumors abound for the massive sequel
Among these rumors include some more specific details regarding the game, such as playable characters and other things that can supposedly be expected in the sequel. “GTA 6 would also feature both male and female playable characters besides the new car stunts…The game could already be in development as Rockstar’s five-year sequel cycle is expected to hit a new one in 2018,” details website Yibada.
This is certainly not the first time that Rockstar Games has been speculated to be moving the Grand Theft Auto series to another country. Not long ago, there was mass speculation that the next GTA game would be set in Tokyo, Japan. However, in the past few weeks, these rumors have since dissipated.
Until official confirmation and details are released regarding the massive, open-world, criminal-simulating sequel, readers are advised to take any news or rumors regarding the game with a grain of salt, as Rockstar has previously denied speculation of a London setting in the past.
