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[Windom Earle]

Is GTA 6 Woke? DEI Employee Certifications Highlight the Quiet Shift Threatening Rockstar

Is GTA 6 woke? Certain changes at Rockstar are giving gamers anxiety regarding the future of the long-running franchise.

thatparkplace.com

Article and video mostly focus on concerns around Rockstar's creative direction for GTA 6, driven by three key factors. First, the departure of pivotal figures like co-founder Dan Houser has raised doubts about the company’s ability to maintain its bold storytelling and satirical edge. Second, content edits in GTA V: Expanded & Enhanced - Rockstar removed jokes and caricatures deemed offensive to specific groups, including references to drag performers and certain NPCs associated with LGBTQ+ stereotypes. These edits also included altering dialogues perceived as mocking gender identities. Such selective censorship undermines the franchise’s hallmark of equal-opportunity satire, where no subject was spared from critique.

Third, the adoption of DEI training among staff reflects an evolving corporate philosophy that could lead to cautious, sanitized creative decisions. This could signal a broader cultural shift within the company. Over 60 employees have completed certifications in Unconscious Bias and Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB), with many of these certifications coinciding with the departure of key creatives like Houser. In his video, Endymion also highlights the acquisition of a lot of questionable new talent around that time frame.

GTA sisters I don't feel so good.

 

[analog_future]

Surely the game is going to flop if it's woke with everyone on GAF protesting it

 

[Gaiff]

We should ban this youtuber. He does nothing but outrage bait about "woke" culture.

 

[GHG]

Surely the game is going to flop if it's woke with everyone on GAF protesting it

Point out an unhinged director having a meltdown on social media bragging about how they are stamping their agenda on the game and it will be so.

 

[ssringo]

I think it'll be fine.

 

[saintjules]

In other news:

 

[squidilix]

Yes.

Remember, they censored GTA5 on PS5/XSX and GTA Trilogy : Definitive Edition

 

[JayK47]

It will be hot DEI garbage worst case, which I do not see happening, or more likely watered down and soft compared to older titles. They will just avoid all controversy and make a drama like RDR2.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

i believe 80% of what is being stated

 

[TintoConCasera]

Is today's Rockstar the same Rockstar back when GTA V released? Writters and game designers, are those all still there?

 

[Vick]

The quiet shift was already apparent in RDR2. Subtle enough being 2018, but unquestionably felt still.

Then the brutal censoring in GTA..

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

Woke or not, the pros heavily outweight the cons and it'll be a very good game regardless. GTA VI, Elder Scrolls VI, and Witcher 4 are the three games that will be mega successful no matter what because the other fun stuff in this game will overwhelm the others. GTA games have always been about exploring the best possible city sandbox and one where you can have tons of fun messing around. Elder Scrolls is always about having the awesome immersive world to explore and roleplay in plus the best possible modding game of all times. Witcher 4 should have amazing writing and deep character designed.

And I'm willing to bet GTA VI won't have too much in the face of those disgusting woke agendas like Veiluard, Dustborn etc. Probably going to be parody versions of woke stuff which is completely fine. So far the trailer doesn't have any red flags. It has pretty ladies and woman shaking their asses plus a love relationship that makes sense. It's the opposite of what Saints Row Reboot's trailer was.

 

[Moses85]

If something on earth is Save, it is the Fact, GTA 6 will never be Any Kind of woke.

 

[FalconPunch]

Usually, when the original creator leaves their IP to go work elsewhere, the vision gets altered. Usually it's for the worse. Personally speaking, I don't have high hopes for GTA 6. I think it'll be a solid and competent game. However, I feel like the essence of GTA will be lost or toned down. I hope I'm wrong but, after seeing how Rockstar is changing so far, I'm filled with high hopes.

 

[adamsapple]

Kacho told you

 

[Windom Earle]

Is today's Rockstar the same Rockstar back when GTA V released? Writters and game designers, are those all still there?

No. They seemingly also hired a million DEI activists. Good luck.

 

[Geometric-Crusher]

I think it'll be fine.

 

[TintoConCasera]

No. They seemingly also hired a million DEI activists. Good luck.

Yeah that was my guess, thanks for confirming it.

People need to wrap their heads around the fact that companies don't make games. It's the people who make them and once those people are gone, it might be over.

It's like wanting a Warcraft IV and expecting it to be good just because Warcraft III was good.

edit: the game will probably be good, but honestly I don't expect Vice City levels of good.

 

[Gamerguy84]

Cant be, this is GTA. They've seen Saintz Row.

I would live to work on the game. This is the South Park of games.

 

[adamsapple]

The quiet shift was already apparent in RDR2. Subtle enough being 2018, but unquestionably felt still.

Then the brutal censoring in GTA..

What brutal censoring? Can you give a few examples

 

[Imtjnotu]

The quiet shift was already apparent in RDR2. Subtle enough being 2018, but unquestionably felt still.

Then the brutal censoring in GTA..

2018 was peak cancel culture.

That shit is heavily getting pushed back against in today's age. Mee too started alot of industry crap but as time has gone on that culture is starting to faulter.

I don't think GTA 6 strays away too much from what made GTA,

 

[Fahdis]

I fapped to your thoughts about fapping to that gif looking at patrick.. Im cooked.

 

[Bitstream]

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

It will be hot DEI garbage worst case, which I do not see happening, or more likely watered down and soft compared to older titles. They will just avoid all controversy and make a drama like RDR2.

Considering that the Red Dead games are vastly superior to GTA this isn't a bad thing.

 

[analog_future]

Point out an unhinged director having a meltdown on social media bragging about how they are stamping their agenda on the game and it will be so.

 

[touchfuzzy]

2018 was peak cancel culture.

That shit is heavily getting pushed back against in today's age. Mee too started alot of industry crap but as time has gone on that culture is starting to faulter.

I don't think GTA 6 strays away too much from what made GTA,

The bulk of this game was developed during peak cancel/woke culture period of 2020 to just recently.

 

[Geometric-Crusher]

this game has the full potential to corrupt traditional values

 

[hemo memo]

It will sell, irrespective of its wokness. Not becuase of it.

 

[JaksGhost]

It must be exhausting scouring through LinkedIn profiles for a hit on something.

 

[PeteBull]

Surely the game is going to flop if it's woke with everyone on GAF protesting it

50m copies sold for gta6 would be a flop of epic proportions considering gta5 sold 205m+ copies, thats 155m copies short after all, but i hope game isnt woke, smart ppl work at rockstar after all and they love money

GTA 5 Sales Reach 205 Million Copies

During its latest earnings call, Take-Two Interactive announced that GTA 5 sales have reached 205 million copies in 11 years.

insider-gaming.com

 

[Yoboman]

GTA always mocked everyone but always had a leftist slant

 

[Johnny Concrete]

I think it'll be fine.

Our lives, saved, by thick thighs

 

[MMaRsu]

No

 

[ManaByte]

I 100% guarantee you there will be a series of missions mocking a group of people who are obviously on a different side of history than the enlightened game devs where the player will be encouraged to kill as many as they can.

 

[ExtendEmbraceExtinguish]

It’s a riddle within a riddle. Aka it is satire poking fun at everyone but needs to get that across to their audience.

 

[Puscifer]

I mean all the leaked footage and people still say this stupid shit

 

[Vick]

2018 was peak cancel culture.

But games released in 2018 weren't made in 2018.

We've seen quite the shift happening between games released that year and their sequels, like Spider-Man > Spider-Man 2, God of War > Ragnarok..

What brutal censoring? Can you give a few examples

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition is a re-release of three of the later Grand Theft Auto games with updated graphics. The video game set was released on November 11, 2021. The Confederate battle flag on Phil's shirt was removed and replaced with the American flag. The...

censorship.fandom.com

- The Confederate battle flag on Phil's shirt was removed and replaced with the American flag.
- The Confederate battle flag in a room saying heritage not hate was replaced with the American flag.
- The scene where Avery says "Now recently a Haitian gang lord died. Apparently the Cubans did it, nobody's certain, but let's make them certain! You disguise yourself as a Cuban hombre, and head on down to crash that funeral." was censored by poorly cutting out "Haitian", "as a Cuban hombre", and the entire phrase "Apparently the Cubans did it, nobody's certain, but let's make them certain!"

I honestly remember it being much worse than this, as vividly recall seeing a San Andreas comparison about roaming NPC lines about LGBTQ+ minorities being removed, and similar stuff on this nature. I'll see if I can find it.

 

[ricardo_sousa11]

Isnt it literally the same team?

I can imagine if you read a segment of a script, you can draw conclusions that arent real, specially sarcasm doesnt really come across.

 

[hemo memo]

Our lives, saved, by thick thighs

I mean you know what they say Thick Thighs Save Lives and thicc_girls_are_teh_best

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

 

[Fake]

They already censor GTAV.

 

[Geometric-Crusher]

The sensuality is exaggerated in this game, this is what needs to be censored, removed
I don't want to play games that depend on boobs and buttocks , I want fun games without this woke things.
.

 

[Imtjnotu]

The bulk of this game was developed during peak cancel/woke culture period of 2020 to just recently.

And you think with 150+ million units sold on gta 5 alone, that they are going to pander to the sensitive culture?

They left all of the radio station talk shows alone

 

[Pandawan]

If GTAVI turns out to be Spider Man 2's tier WOKE, it will be the final nail in the coffin of wokeness. Even if GTAVI fails to live up to its expectations (doesn't surpass GTAV), it means that no one who puts the imposition of ideology above the quality of the game will be able to

 

[Strategize]

Meanwhile the trailer...ass ass ass, more ass, ass, bikini models, more bikini models, posing bikini models, implied sex scene. Weren't the woke supposed to hate sexy women?

Anyway if "worst" comes to worst and they do lose the edgy satire, we'll just get a more serious drama like RDR2, which will probably be for the better since RDR2 was their most acclaimed story by far.

 

[notseqi]

If it can stay under cringe levels of Michael yelling 'You know what? YOU'RE A HIPSTER!' at Trevor I am okay.

 

[Saber]

I doubt it would make that much difference, judging their initial video.
But I wouldn't push their luck. Specially since GTA is ultra popular in my country, trying damaging that would be dumb as fuck.

 

[Elginer]

Here we go….

 

[emmerrei]

It will be ultra woke, and people are going to play it anyway. People are hypocrite. Or better, kids, 99% of players of GTA5 are kids that play the online mode with rainbow cars and guns. As by myself, i have to play a game, because yes i'm an hypocryte too that will buy the game (mainly for the single player), i have to assist at all those American woke agenda being pushed in the whole world through this game. I can already see all the reviewers praising it as god, and you can't say anything against it. That's what the industry became.

 

[Zacfoldor]

There are levels of woke. Let them cook. We'll judge when the game releases.

People thinking GTA can't be corrected if it goes woke though....

Not sure what could be accomplished this cycle, but a super woke game would damage the IP for future releases. I don't think it's gonna happen though. It will be kinda woke, but not woke enough to matter. Remember there are levels of woke. The bigger a game is the easier it is to shave off millions of sales.