Rockstar Once Thought ‘The Age of Trump’ Would Mess With GTA 6

As a dedicated gamer with a keen interest in the gaming industry, I can’t help but reflect on the intriguing predicament that Rockstar Games might find themselves in with the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6). Back in 2018, Dan Houser, one of the co-founders of Rockstar, expressed concerns about releasing GTA 6 during Donald Trump’s presidency – his original presidency. Now, here we are, less than a year before the game’s expected release and Trump is back in the Oval Office.

Back in 2018, one of the founders of Rockstar Games expressed worries about launching Grand Theft Auto 6 while Donald Trump was still serving as president – that is, during his initial term. This conversation took place during an interview between Dan Houser and GQ magazine.

Although the original founder of a prominent video game company has departed, his statements still resonate. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has returned to the White House, just under a year prior to the anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto 6.

Let’s dive into this.

How Could Donald Trump Screw With GTA 6?

During a 2018 interview with GQ, Dan Houser voiced concerns about launching GTA 6 during Donald Trump’s tenure as the U.S. President, stating that he had reservations about it.

It’s quite vague what possible uses there might be for it, not to mention the potential backlash from any actions taken.

Extreme liberal and conservative viewpoints can be extremely aggressive and filled with intense emotion. It’s both alarming and peculiar, yet at times they seem to verge on the absurd. Satirizing them becomes challenging due to these factors because some of the things you encounter are simply beyond satire. The pace of change is so rapid that any satire would be outdated within a short period.

Reflecting on his words, it seems Houser was largely commenting on the societal climate during Donald Trump’s presidency, labeling it as the ‘Trump era.’ Nowadays, we find ourselves in an era where cancel culture can swiftly pull down a project within a single night – yet, it’s challenging to envision satire being the catalyst for GTA 6 to be removed from store shelves following its release.

As a gamer, I’d say: Imagine if Rockstar Games added a flashy, flamboyant billionaire character in GTA 6, who happens to be running for office in the state of Leonida. This guy is pulling strings with some Russian bigwigs or something, all in the name of winning elections. It feels like reality mirroring games, or perhaps it’s just art reflecting life – either way, it’s intriguing!

How might such an approach resonate with the approximately 72 million individuals who recently supported Donald Trump during the election?

In the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series, Rockstar Games has humorously imitated figures like Mark Zuckerberg, Ronald Reagan, Paris Hilton, and notable Republicans. Who could forget Jock Cranley, the character who bears a striking resemblance to Donald Trump, appearing in a minor role within GTA 5, released in 2013?

Jock Cranley was a political candidate known for his conservative views, who campaigned in the state of San Andreas. However, he proposed some questionable policies, made disrespectful remarks towards his opponents, and often participated in controversial media appearances where he discussed his interest in teenage girls in a way that raised eyebrows.

Despite all this, Jock Cranley was loved because he was a celebrity Republican.

Does that ring a bell?

Now.

Donald Trump might find it displeasing to be made fun of in Grand Theft Auto 6. As Dan Houser explained back in 2018, societal trends can change rapidly, making something acceptable one week, but potentially offensive when the game is eventually released, even if it was fine at the time it was written.

In addition, Donald Trump has often expressed his views against violent video games and their potential impact on younger individuals.

Leonida is modeled after a state known for its strong allegiance to Trump’s political party. Notably, Rockstar hasn’t held back in satirizing certain typical, widely recognized aspects of Florida.

Let’s get back to the real world. It’s rather hard to imagine Donald Trump interfering with the release of Grand Theft Auto 6. If he did, his reputation would likely take a significant hit, considering that millions upon millions of gamers in the U.S. have been eagerly anticipating GTA 6 for nearly a decade now.

It’s funny to imagine it happening, though.

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