GTA 6: Will the multi-protagonist formula work for Rockstar again?

With the rumor mill buzzing about GTA 6, it’s time to start speculating about how the narrative of this much-awaited title may change a full seven years after the launch of GTA 5. Michael, Franklin, and Trevor became household names for any gamer who picked up GTA 5 back in 2013, revolutionizing the industry with its on-the-fly character-switching system that let you hop between the three characters mid-game, and even mid-mission.

This mechanic allowed Rockstar Games to tell a story like never before, allowing you to truly live the lives of the three protagonists and watch as their journeys grew together. The story of two wayward friends, Michael and Trevor, parting ways through treachery all the way to their inevitably volatile reunion, catalyzed by Franklin, set the stage perfectly for an epic action-filled story fueled by three separate, yet completely relatable, motivations.

Michael’s was to give his family the best life; Trevor’s was to fill the void of existence, and Franklin’s was to get out of the ghetto. While GTA 6 probably won't see the return of these beloved characters, barring potential cameos, this may be a good thing.

The storytelling possibilities for GTA 6

While it equated to great success in GTA 5, the next title may be a different, story wise. The problem of a multi-protagonist story, if done wrong, is very simple: people just won't care. The controversial The Last of Us 2 had players forced into the shoes of Abby, a character almost no one wanted to play, with fan backlash and outcries from even the most popular of gaming personalities.

So, how can Rockstar avoid this with GTA 6? Well, there’s a reason Claude (even though he never spoke!), CJ, and Niko Bellic are some of the most recognizable Grand Theft Auto characters of all time. It would be wise to stick to this tried and tested formula.

For example, the amount of time a player spent in Niko Bellic’s shoes, understanding the depths of his character and the arduous struggle of pursuing the American dream as an illegal immigrant, made the player form an unbreakable bond with this character. This is something we saw in Rockstar’s latest endeavour, Red Dead Redemption 2, too.

We could potentially see this again in GTA 6, which might just be the best-case scenario for everyone.

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Edited by Ravi Iyer