GTA VI: return to Vice City, first female character... Rockstar Game unveils video game trailer

They've been waiting for it for ten years. On Monday evening, fans of the franchise were treated to the first trailer for GTA VI, ten years after the release of the last instalment of "Grand Theft Auto" (GTA).

 

Although it was due to be presented on Tuesday December 5, leaks forced Rockstar Games to release the trailer early on Monday evening. At the time of writing, it has already been viewed over 52 million times.

 

The video, posted on X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, shows a Miami-inspired setting and, for the first time, a female lead character. The new opus, dubbed "GTA VI", is scheduled for release in 2025.

The highly-anticipated video game will return to "Vice City", a fictional city inspired by Miami, and once again promises fans the chance to play gangsters, from Florida villas to prison.

 

According to Rockstar Games' parent company, US-based Take-Two, the entire franchise has sold 410 million copies worldwide, including 190 million for the latest opus, "GTA V", released in 2013 and the industry's best-selling title in the US in terms of both volume and value.

 

But its success has not been without controversy, not least because of the game's sulphurous nature, which features individuals who behave criminally and, according to its many detractors, encourages players to reproduce their character's actions themselves. The franchise has been banned or restricted in several countries.

 

In previous episodes, players were able to embody a member of the Italian mafia in New York (Liberty City), follow in the footsteps of Scarface hero Tony Montana in Miami (Vice City) or slip into the shoes of a former gang member in Los Angeles (Los Santos).

 

On the program: car thefts, hold-ups, car chases, drug deals and street battles, all set to a soundtrack adapted to the era and style of the city they pass through.

 

In the game, "I can behave in a way that would immediately get me into trouble in real life, even risking prison or death", points out Wedbush analyst Nick McKay. An analysis that would be shared by all the franchise's players, where violence is virtually unavoidable. 

 

The game is deliberately politically incorrect, offering players the freedom to act as they wish "with the devil on their shoulder", adds Wedbush McKay. "In everyday life, our behavior is largely dictated by what society allows or forbids us to do. In GTA, everything is possible when you want it to be, and if it has consequences, all you have to do is restart the game," he explains.

 

Beyond the question of violence, the series has been strongly criticized for its particularly misogynistic portrayal of women and caricatures of minorities, not to mention its depictions of torture.

 

This time, the trailer confirms rumors of a "Bonnie and Clyde"-style criminal duo, including a playable female character - a first for GTA.