Grand Theft Auto is one of the video game industry’s most famous and impactful series, with Grand Theft Auto 5 alone being one of the most profitable works of entertainment in history. A sixth installment seems inevitable considering the series’ everlasting popularity, but Rockstar seems to be taking it easy with the development of this installment. This is especially jarring after making the solid “3D trilogy” in addition to Grand Theft Auto 4 throughout the 2000s. Despite Grand Theft Auto 5’s pseudo-monopoly on Rockstar’s time during the 2010s, the famed Grand Theft Auto 6 is finally confirmed to be in development.
Grand Theft Auto 6 theories have been around for a while, and there are several things to expect now that Rockstar has provided players with an idea of what modern iterations of the series should be like with Grand Theft Auto 5. However, despite the expectations that have been established for over a decade, there is still room for innovation. Grand Theft Auto 6 does not need to be a repeat of its predecessor, and it can start differentiating itself by finally having an in-depth character customization system that goes beyond what the older games offered.
Avatars and Independent GTA Protagonists
The Grand Theft Auto series has almost always told stories with “independent” protagonists. They might be the characters the player controls and their actions are entirely reliant on what the player wants to do, but their thoughts, goals, and personality traits are separate from what the player thinks. Claude from Grand Theft Auto 3 and the Grand Theft Auto Online protagonist are the exceptions, with the former being a silent protagonist and the latter being exclusive to online modes.
For Grand Theft Auto 6, Rockstar should aim high when it comes to the game’s protagonist, and not just in terms of writing. While having a consistent appearance is good for official art and marketing, the game’s character customization option should strive to go beyond what sandbox games, let alone the games in this very series, offer. In recent years, people have been criticizing Grand Theft Auto for its historic lack of female protagonists. Considering the current climate regarding demographical diversity, Rockstar will probably try to write a story around a woman criminal, regardless of whether Grand Theft Auto 6 has one protagonist or a posse of them like in GTA 5.
One of the easiest ways to implement that would be by introducing a more complex character customization system. Grand Theft Auto Online already started a potential pattern, though there are some flaws in that mode’s system. For one, physical appearance is dependent on a pair of “ancestors” that the player picks, whereas other character customization systems, especially in RPGs like South Park: The Stick of Truth and Dark Souls, have mechanics that are as meticulous as possible. Combined with the lack of fully customizable clothing, especially regarding color palettes, Grand Theft Auto Online’s avatar system is full of missed potential.
In an ironic twist of fate, Grand Theft Auto 6 should strive to be more like Saints Row, another series that is making a comeback. A franchise that originally started as a blatant Grand Theft Auto clone, Saints Row managed to usurp the franchise that always overshadowed it in the realm of character customization. While the player character’s personality remains the same, everything about their appearance, from the size of their body parts to the color of their hair and skin, can be fully customized. A Saints Row protagonist can look like an ordinary human with eccentric aesthetics, or an entirely alien being in addition to having the player’s preferred gender. Grand Theft Auto 6 should embrace these possibilities.
The upcoming Saints Row is revealed to have the most in-depth character customization the series has ever seen. This shows that sandbox games, or other genres with independently written protagonists, can still allow players to design their avatar as they see fit. Rockstar should not just aim to outdo its own series in the customization department, but to be the best in both its genre and the medium as a whole.
The next Grand Theft Auto game is in development.
