Grand Theft Auto 6: Creator Dan Houser's Worst Nightmare is Set to Come True

Grand Theft Auto 6could very well be the biggest video game release of all time, but it won’t be without its controversies. Evensomething likeRed Dead Redemption 2, a widely beloved and ambitious Rockstar project, suffered from negative feedback at launch, and that game didn’t feature the biting political and social critiques of theGTAseries.

Indeed, ifGrand Theft Auto 6is anything like its predecessors, one of its main narrative goals will be to hold up a skewed mirror to American society; the franchise has always been satirical, poking fun at everything from private militias to radio shows. Naturally, the content and context of this satirical writing changes depending on the state of the world when a given game releases:GTA 5, for instance, released in 2013 and therefore flung a lot of venom at the Silicon Valley, Zuckerberg-influenced tech bro culture that was rising to prominence during that time. In other words, good satire is timely, andGTAis definitely good satire. It’s for these reasons that Rockstar co-founder and former Vice President of Creativity Dan Houser said in 2018 that he was glad thatGTA 6wouldn’t be releasing during the Trump era of global politics. It looks like Houser’s relief was premature, though, for obvious reasons.

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Dan Houser Didn’t Want GTA 6 Releasing During the Trump Presidency

Explaining Houser’s Comments About GTA 6 and Trump

While one could reasonably interpret Rockstar’s games as left-leaning, it’s crucial to note that they don’t often explicitly choose a side. This is especially true oftheGrand Theft Autofranchise, which takes aim at hardcore conservatives and radical progressives alike. It’s through this lens of indiscriminate criticism and satire that Dan Houser made his comments about releasingGTA 6during the Trump era.

Speaking to GQ in 2018, Houser noted that the contentious political circumstances of the first Trump administration would have madeRockstar’s approach toGTA 6’s satire"really unclear," and suggested that such satire would cause more of an uproar than it may have otherwise. In essence, these concerns boil down to political extremism on both sides: Houser seemingly believed that the fervor of both liberals and conservatives would be difficult to satirize, as their behavior was becoming more and more like satire itself.

Houser also expressed concerns aboutGTA 6keeping up with the modern politicalclimate, stating that the game’s satire “would be out of date within two minutes.”

Part and parcel of this extreme political atmosphere is the potential for greater outrage. It’s not clear whetherGTA 6will make fun of modern politics, but it’s certainly possible: the franchise hasn’t been bearish about such topics in the past, andGTA 6could easily make fun of Trump himself via the Donald Love character, who is clearly inspired by the infamous billionaire-turned-politician. Conversely, progressives may be more sensitive to certain jokes or characterizations, since so many social issues have become more dire, and are no longer a laughing matter, as it were.

Will GTA 6 Face Backlash in the Trump Era?

It’s no great secret thatGrand Theft Autohas been in the crosshairs of alarmists and culture critics for decades. The “cop-killing” of previousGTAgames has been relentlessly lambasted, as have various sexual and vulgar activities, scenes, mechanics, et cetera. It’s not clear if and how this will apply toGTA 6, but there are a few possibilities worth considering:

It’s hard to tell what exactlyGTA 6will look like in this respect. But there are worse things than attracting political controversy: ifGTA 6is as well-writtenand nuanced as its predecessors, then such sociopolitical commentary could be a net positive for society, despite potential short-term consequences.