IGN has published the full transcript of its Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) interview with Rockstar North’s Rob Nelson, and it includes a number of details about the game that hadn’t been shared before.
The article is a full, verbatim run-through of the conversation, which took place while Nelson, Head of Development and Co-Studio Head at Rockstar North, played the game live. IGN’s Rachel Weber explained that the August coverage dealt with the main talking points, but the full version showed what it was like to be in the room. “It wasn’t a prescribed demo and often things didn’t work out as planned,” she wrote. Because of that, the transcript jumps between Nelson’s answers and notes on what was happening on screen, including a police chase that went wrong.
The Criminal Profile system
One of the new details is a system Rockstar calls the Criminal Profile, which keeps track of what sort of criminal the player is. Nelson said it was different from RDR2’s honour system, and that it is separate from the relationship between the game’s two protagonists, Jason and Lucia.
“There isn’t a right or wrong way to play this game, but consistent sorts of actions may have an impact in terms of how the world reacts to you and how the narrative plays out,” Nelson said. Doing what a mission demands, or dealing with someone who picks a fight, won’t count against the player. It’s when players consistently go beyond what’s necessary that the profile may start to shift.
Nelson added that players will no longer be the only dangerous people in the world, a change Rockstar first tried in RDR2. “You were the only one with an invisible arsenal hidden away,” he said of past GTA games. “Apart from the police, everyone would run in terror from you if you started acting out. This world in GTA 6 is not like that.”
Jason and Lucia’s relationship is optional
The relationship system improves when the pair spend time together, whether that’s playing pool, mini golf, kayaking or robbing banks. Players can text or call the other character at any time, and ignoring a goodnight message “may impact your relationship a bit.”
Nelson said the story keeps Jason and Lucia working together as partners in crime for most of the game, even if the romance fades. “It’s not something that we want to foist upon players,” he said, adding that there was no particular gameplay benefit to keeping them close. However, he confirmed that “whether you’ve nurtured the relationship or not will definitely have a bearing on how their story plays out.”
Car theft and the police
Car theft has also changed. Pressing a single button to hotwire any parked car is gone, and some vehicles stay locked until the player gets tools such as a key cloner or a slim-jim later in the story, although carjacking a driver is always an option. A scanner on the in-game phone shows whether a car is locked, has an alarm or carries a tracker, as well as what it would fetch at a Pay n’ Spray or car fence and how much it would cost to register.
Cars with an advanced tracker have to be driven fast, otherwise they ping their location to the police. According to Nelson, a crime only gets reported if someone witnesses it or an alarm goes off, and a new heat system means officers remember what the player is wearing. Buying a new outfit removes heat, while players can also split Jason and Lucia up or switch cars to throw the police off.
The personal vehicle, which can be called at any time, stores spare outfits and every weapon the player has bought. A mode called Focus, which Nelson compared to Eagle Eye in RDR2, highlights things like nearby cops, and getting arrested still triggers the familiar ‘Busted’ screen and a respawn.
A bigger, busier world
Nelson said the current generation of consoles allowed far more variety in the heights and body shapes of non-player characters (NPCs), since the team built a system that retargets animations on the fly. Rockstar also set up a new team of writers, directors and producers in Los Angeles to create NPC dialogue, and characters will notice if the player stands too close and eavesdrops.
Safehouses are described as “probably closer to the camps in RDR2” than those in earlier GTA games. Hair can only be cut shorter or shaved at a safehouse, with new styles available at salons that each carry their own signature looks. Players can visit gyms to build strength, while overeating will cause the character to put on weight.
Other details include Snapmatic, an in-game social media app that Jason and Lucia can only browse because they are “a couple on the run.” Ryde Me, the game’s version of Uber, doubles as fast travel, and players can study animals in a collection mechanic carried over from RDR2. Nelson also said money matters more than in previous GTA games, with parts of the story requiring players to earn cash before missions can move forward.
How Rockstar approached satire
On satire, Nelson said Rockstar’s long development cycles meant it had to avoid topics that would date quickly. “Very specific political issues or memes will date fast,” he said, adding that the team also kept the characters away from extremely contemporary slang. He also revealed that the scale of GTA 6 is part of the reason Rockstar’s team has doubled in size.
According to IGN, the game has been in development for 13 years. Nelson closed the interview by saying that even with the new systems, “it’s still very much Grand Theft Auto.”
