GTA 6 Speculation & Discussion [Part 4]

[SneakyDeaky]

2 hours ago, Len Lfc said:

I've been a fan of many things, games, TV, Movies. And when the original creators or team that made it move on, there typically is a decline in popularity and magic that made it special. Not necessarily popularity or financial revenue. I'm not one to say Rockstar are finished or GTA VI will be bad, that's just dumb and super pessimistic. Sam is still there, and a few others. But it is starting to become a little disappointing. Still, we need to have. Some. Faith! I'm sure Rockstar have a plan.

I may be newish on these forums, but I've lurked for years. I was there when GTA 1 and 2 became big cult hits. I remember even the few adults I knew at the time when I was 12, 13, wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Then GTA 3 was coming around the corner and I remember being the only one in my circle who was so excited. It's weird to me now, but on the day of release they all bought Smackdown 3! I was the only one who got GTA 3. It's amazing the word of mouth that game had, because its popularity spread so quickly after a few weeks, and I loved that time period leading up to Vice City. 

 

IDK why I'm babbling random nostalgia. I guess that's how I feel right now. Lazlow and the Housers became kind of house-hold names in my neck of the woods. Over the years I got to listen to Lazlow on Opie and Anthony, and his own show, and I realized just how important he was to the overall tone of the series. The radio and so many of the fake brands, newspapers in RDR, the Internet in GTA 4 and 5, NPC dialogue, the Cabaret shows in 4 and RDR 2, basically so much of the satire, is in no small part down to Lazlow (and Dan of course) and he's experience in radio and advertisement. And let's not forget the hundreds of hours of music and dialogue he produced and mastered. I think some people don't realize how important he was. A lot of people seem to think of him as just a whacky character on the radio and in GTA Online.  

 

When Dan Left I feared Lazlow was next. I'm worried about the tone of the games. Yes they still have hugely talented people, and the more serious and realistic graphics and design in the game is in no small part to people like Rob Nelson. He's still there. And Aaron Garbut is, too. And of course so is our fearless leader, Sam Houser. But my excitement level for GTA 6 has dropped significantly in the past year. No, this isn't some "I'm not gonna buy it - but I will" rhetoric, I will buy it at midnight. But I feel these changes will affect the tone, and perhaps narrative, of the games I love so much, for better or worse. There's already talk of releasing GTA 6 in small portions, which could vastly change how we experience the game.  It might still be a masterpiece, and funny as hell too. But not quite the same brand of humour, and writing style, I've come to love so much for 20 plus years.  

 

It DOES feel like Beaver Hollow right now. It also feels like GTA 5 has kind of been a poisoned chalice. It had success beyond the company's wildest dreams, but that game and RDR 2 seem to have been the old gang's last ride. 

 

Edited August 14, 2020 by SneakyDeaky

[Zello]

2 hours ago, Len Lfc said:

I've been a fan of many things, games, TV, Movies. And when the original creators or team that made it move on, there typically is a decline in popularity and magic that made it special. Not necessarily popularity or financial revenue. I'm not one to say Rockstar are finished or GTA VI will be bad, that's just dumb and super pessimistic. Sam is still there, and a few others. But it is starting to become a little disappointing. Still, we need to have. Some. Faith! I'm sure Rockstar have a plan.

I like to think of Sports. There's always someone in the bench who will eventually become a starter and even be better than the current starter.

 

Tom Brady comes to mind. Coming in no one gave him a shot. Drafted in the 6th round he was on the bench. Pretty much sat out his rookie year aside from 1 game that wasn't impressive at all.  In his second season he gets put into the game once the starter got injured Drew Bledsoe who nobody remembers now. Very quickly he established himself and won a superbowl in his second season he then goes on a legendary run and is considered one of if not the greatest QB of all time. All that wouldn't have happened if Bledsoe didn't get injured.

 

For all we know whoever replaces Dan, Lazlow, and the rest of these high profile departures might take us to new heights and give us better written stories and even funnier satire and stuff that wouldn't happen if the same people stayed. There is always someone waiting for that promotion and now is their chance to shine. But there is always a high chance they could also suck, focus more on online and we'll all be angry at them if the next game is terrible.

 

Edited August 14, 2020 by Zello

[gta7dev]

By the way, anyone else slightly worried about GTA 6's wanted system? RDR2 literally lifted the entire system from GTA V Infinite cops that casually spawn out of nowhere on your exact route. They magically know where you are at all times and pretend they don't see you but randomly wander to your exact location. Third times the charm?

[daley86]

GTA 6 won't be announced until after the V PS5 release. I think people should accept this now to avoid disappointment. They NEVER announce a new game before the release of another title, ever if it is 18 times remastered.

[Gtaman_92]

1 hour ago, Zello said:

 

Rockstar work your mess out. I just want 1980's Vice City.

Honestly I think they should set the first half in the 80’s and the later half in the 2020’s.

[big_man]

I just hope when Aaron and Sam leave Rockstar it doesn’t go to sh*t and Rockstar turn into Ubisoft since that f*ckhead Strauss is money hungry.

 

Hopefully they have someone like Rob Nelson or Imran who steps up who knows how Sam and Dan liked stuff

[Merquis]

11 hours ago, gta7dev said:

By the way, anyone else slightly worried about GTA 6's wanted system? RDR2 literally lifted the entire system from GTA V Infinite cops that casually spawn out of nowhere on your exact route. They magically know where you are at all times and pretend they don't see you but randomly wander to your exact location. Third times the charm?

Maybe I'll solve it in the next game if they pay attention to the criticism of the players.

 

Edited August 14, 2020 by Merquis

[JohnMcLoviin]

3 hours ago, SneakyDeaky said:

 

 

. There's already talk of releasing GTA 6 in small portions, which could vastly change how we experience the game. 

 

 

 

If they do that, it better be like with IV & EFLC.   One larger main game and two smaller sized games.   They've sort of done it since at least the 3D era.

[Orthur]

7 hours ago, Zello said:

Yes it is...

Lmao I love this post.

 

Great dude

Edited August 14, 2020 by OrthurYouDumbass

[Patrizio]

12 hours ago, Len Lfc said:

I've been a fan of many things, games, TV, Movies. And when the original creators or team that made it move on, there typically is a decline in popularity and magic that made it special. Not necessarily popularity or financial revenue. I'm not one to say Rockstar are finished or GTA VI will be bad, that's just dumb and super pessimistic. Sam is still there, and a few others. But it is starting to become a little disappointing. Still, we need to have. Some. Faith! I'm sure Rockstar have a plan.

Well said. Somebody needs to keep Aaron Garbutt hidden!

 

Generally new blood can bring new ideas and as the saying goes "no-one is irreplaceable" but in the case of Rocksttar I'm not so sure... as you said history of other games and media shows that often key people are not replaceable. 

 

Hopefully, enough of GTA VI has been completed by the original team that the changeover in hierarchy will have minimal affect. That said, if Aaron and/or Sam leaves, coupled with extremely long gaps between games, that might be it for GTA/RDR after VI. 

 

@Zello I'd say its different in sports. In sports people are definitley replaceable. As games and TV are more of art I'd say its different. They can often lose the magic that the original creators had.

 

Regarding Lazlow, its very sad that's he's gone, but as someone said earlier - the quality of his in-game character declined after Vice City and was awful in V. 

Edited August 14, 2020 by Patrizio

[Zello]

7 minutes ago, Patrizio said:

@Zello I'd say its different in sports. In sports people are definitley replaceable. As games and TV are more of art I'd say its different. They can often lose the magic that the original creators had.

Depends. You lose the stars on your team. The team goes into rebuild mode that can last for a couple seasons and sometimes they never recover to championship form.

[Patrizio]

Just now, Zello said:

Depends. You lose the stars on your team. The team goes into rebuild mode that can last for a couple seasons and sometimes they never recover to championship form.

That is true but I think its more pronounced in art and media. Sports is more of a physical genius whereas games are more of a creative genius - I think the latter is harder to replace in general.

[Zello]

2 minutes ago, Patrizio said:

That is true but I think its more pronounced in art and media. Sports is more of a physical genius whereas games are more of a creative genius - I think the latter is harder to replace in general.

Comic books go through different writing teams all the time. Sometimes they end up making good stories and sometimes they end up making trash.

[Patrizio]

3 minutes ago, Zello said:

Comic books go through different writing teams all the time. Sometimes they end up making good stories and sometimes they end up making trash.

I don't read comics personally so I can't really compare. I accept your point though.

 

What I mean is in the case of Rockstar, a small group has been the creative drive behind everything for 20 years. We're seeing that small group leave the company. The void that will leave will be hard to replace, or could be a lot harder to replace, than say a major sports player. Plus sports teams (and perhaps comic books too) have been around often for 70+ years. I don't think games companies will last as long, sadly. 

 

I take it then that you're not concerned about the dwindling number of Rockstar originals? I'm not hugely concerned yet myself as I feel most of GTA VI has been completed with their influence. But after that? It's a different story...

[Zello]

5 minutes ago, Patrizio said:

I take it then that you're not concerned about the dwindling number of Rockstar originals? I'm not hugely concerned yet myself as I feel most of GTA VI has been completed with their influence. But after that? It's a different story...

I'm only sounding the alarm if we get even more online.

 

GTA VI being completely online would be a nightmare.

[Jabalous]

Michael Unsworth and Rupert Humpheris, and probably other unknown names, are still there as far as we know (who knows if they have not left, too). They'll fill the void left by Lazlow and maybe they'll do a better job when they've a full responsibility of writing the in-game radio chatter, personalities and brands. Honestly, I don't think we'll see them, Sam and Aaron at R* following the release of VI. I wish we can get one more Red Dead game, which is my favorite over GTA, with the remaining creative team, but it doesn't seem likely at this point. Whoever replaces them may or mayn't do a good or better job at it, and the style will observably change.

Edited August 14, 2020 by Jabalous

[nicktestbranch]

11 hours ago, GhettoJesus said:

Edit: I must have alzheimers, the beginning of my comment is the same thing I wrote in the Lazlow thread...

I see that happen with many beloved GTA Forums users. The good news is that we have a home based on your best era, where you can live out your best days again as you slowly succumb to it. How does the GTA III section sound? 

[Americana]

35 minutes ago, RenegadeAngel said:

CLUCKIN BELL IF YOU LIKE IT THE CHICKEN DIDN'T DIE IN VAIN!

 

I mean, they ain't wrong.

 

---

[GhettoJesus]

42 minutes ago, Arthur Bell said:

I see that happen with many beloved GTA Forums users. The good news is that we have a home based on your best era, where you can live out your best days again as you slowly succumb to it. How does the GTA III section sound? 

Nah just pull the plug I don't want to suffer in the alzheimers hell anymore.

 

Either ways I am really looking forwards to GTA VI's radio stations now that Lazlow has departed. We can see whether the pessimistic or the optimistic bloc was right. I for one hope that whoever takes up the torch can hold a candle to Lazlow's work or even surpass him.

Edited August 14, 2020 by GhettoJesus

[nicktestbranch]

I think that about pretty much all the big names that have left. With Dan, Lazlow, and Benzies gone, I think we'll have a solid answer on whether Rockstar was held back on potential or they have lost their creative touch. I'm rarely an optimist, but this is one of those cases where I'm looking forward to seeing the direction of the company going forward. And if it happens to be that my favorite franchises go downhill, I'll still have the games I've loved.

[Punkd]

isnt it obvious? they all leave R* because there wont be a "next" gta, just gta 5 online going on forever

[Lukas2580]

4 minutes ago, Punkd said:

isnt it obvious? they all leave R* because there wont be a "next" gta, just gta 5 online going on forever

dont SAY THAT 

[Len Lfc]

11 hours ago, Zello said:

I like to think of Sports. There's always someone in the bench who will eventually become a starter and even be better than the current starter.

Yeah, I'm hoping whoever is next is Rockstars Bob Paisley to Bill Shankly, and not Graeme Souness to kenny Dalglish.

 

2 hours ago, Patrizio said:

Well said. Somebody needs to keep Aaron Garbutt hidden!

 

Generally new blood can bring new ideas and as the saying goes "no-one is irreplaceable" but in the case of Rocksttar I'm not so sure... as you said history of other games and media shows that often key people are not replaceable. 

 

Hopefully, enough of GTA VI has been completed by the original team that the changeover in hierarchy will have minimal affect. That said, if Aaron and/or Sam leaves, coupled with extremely long gaps between games, that might be it for GTA/RDR after VI. 

 

@Zello I'd say its different in sports. In sports people are definitley replaceable. As games and TV are more of art I'd say its different. They can often lose the magic that the original creators had.

 

Regarding Lazlow, its very sad that's he's gone, but as someone said earlier - the quality of his in-game character declined after Vice City and was awful in V. 

Only reason I didn't mention Aaron was because he's mainly an artist. I know he's one of the main guys, still, but the concern isn't about the visual or art direction. And more so quality of writing, detail and commentary.

 

2 hours ago, Zello said:

Comic books go through different writing teams all the time. Sometimes they end up making good stories and sometimes they end up making trash.

I would agree, but that has always been the case for comics. People have been comparing Disney's success with Marvel as opposed to Star Wars, which i feel will be similar here. Comic always have new writers, artists and takes on a character. Even multiple different universes with the same characters. Star Wars doesn't. They're all meant to be consistent within the same universe, and up until Disney, it all largely came from George. Having that one lead figure is paramount. I feel GTA could go the way of Star Wars and not the comics. We have been so used to the main guys at Rockstar leading their games, that a sudden change may be felt or noticed. And people may not like it. I hope that isn't the case, but GTA has always been about more than it's open world where you can steal cars and shoot people. New writers may not be as astute at social commentary or capturing the smaller details of the radio and general dialogue. Or they may be just as good, who knows. 

 

No point in losing sleep over it. We can't control it.

[thecoolfattykid]

I'm honestly not all that worried about drop in quality yet. Let's see how future games will be. I don't like saying "omg rockstar is going to turn into EA" without seeing how next game would turn out. And the guys who co-wrote rdr2 and gta 4 Rupert Humphries, Michael Unsworth are still there in the studio. They will likely figure out how to make games in the style we have seen. Maybe we will see more new IPs and more risk being taken since they're are new and have to prove themselves. There's no point in speculating over stuff like this and bring fear mongering. We have to wait and see how the future of rockstar games will be.

Edited August 14, 2020 by thecoolfattykid

[Jabalous]

8 minutes ago, thecoolfattykid said:

Maybe we will see more new IPs and more risk being taken since they're are new and have to prove themselves. There's no point in speculating over stuff like this and bring fear mongering. We have to wait and see how the future of rockstar games will be.

They don't decide which IP they will work on as this is a corporate-level decision, and they're not new. They've been writing for R* since GTA 4. 

[Guest]

26 minutes ago, Len Lfc said:

I would agree, but that has always been the case for comics. People have been comparing Disney's success with Marvel as opposed to Star Wars, which i feel will be similar here. Comic always have new writers, artists and takes on a character. Even multiple different universes with the same characters. Star Wars doesn't. They're all meant to be consistent within the same universe, and up until Disney, it all largely came from George. Having that one lead figure is paramount. I feel GTA could go the way of Star Wars and not the comics. We have been so used to the main guys at Rockstar leading their games, that a sudden change may be felt or noticed. And people may not like it. I hope that isn't the case, but GTA has always been about more than it's open world where you can steal cars and shoot people. New writers may not be as astute at social commentary or capturing the smaller details of the radio and general dialogue. Or they may be just as good, who knows. 

Or would turn it into cheap politicking or "subverting exceptations"

[Len Lfc]

5 minutes ago, kris_1313 said:

"subverting exceptations"

*Rian Johnson intensifies*

[big_man]

Most us panicking that Rockstar are going to go to sh*t, they might end up being better. I noticed they’re communicating more on Twitter now and actually updating us on bugs and updates. Hopefully gta 6 isn’t just up to the higher ups and the employees actually get a say in what should be in gta 6 and if the story is good and that. Imagine how gta 6 would turn out if 5 thousand people put ideas into it.

[Zapper]

6 minutes ago, yolobigman said:

Imagine how gta 6 would turn out if 5 thousand people put ideas into it.

If that happens the game would turn out as a bloated, incoherrent, convoluted mess. It should have a focused creative vision, not 5000 people stirring up sh*t in a pot.

Communicating with consumers for maintaining an online game is necessary but for a single player game, nah mate, 3-4 people handling creative direction is more than fine.

[thecoolfattykid]

Do you guys want a dark and depressing story or light and uplifting story? I personally want a mix of both. Have its fun moments and also have some really dark moments.