That’s a huge relief
Grand Theft Auto VI will not be affected by the SAG-AFTRA game actors strike despite initial concerns that the release may have to be pushed back because of it.
SAG-AFTRA game actors are currently on strike against some of the biggest companies in the industry over AI but GTA 6 is one of several in development games that is exempt.
A spokesperson for the publishers involved in the dispute confirmed that it was exempt along with any other project that was in development before September 2023.
Game performers including voice actors, motion capture artists, and others whose recorded work is used during production went on strike in July after negotiations broke down.
It is a situation that has been going on for over a year and though concessions have been made by companies such as Epic Games, EA, and Activision, SAG-AFTRA maintains that the current proposals fall short of protecting some of their performances from being copied and duplicated using AI without disclosures or pay.
Some Grand Theft Auto fans also seem to be concerned that GTA 6 will be ruined by being too “woke”.
The gaming series has become famous for its crude humour and extreme violence, and Rockstar Games have used satirical comedy to take aim at pretty much every social group you can think of over the years.
The games are also loved for the way they skewer the consumerism of America and the celebrity culture of Hollywood.
But some fans are worried that Rockstar may decide to reign things in a bid to adhere with so-called ‘woke culture.’
The first alarm for these people was when it emerged that GTA 6 would feature a female protagonist and would be “more culturally sensitive” than its predecessors.
In a post on Reddit, one user shared a meme mocking the ‘woke left’ and suggesting that not buying the game because it will be more “culturally sensitive” is a rational conclusion.
But another user questioned what all the fuss was about, writing: “I see people complaining about the new upcoming game by RockStar in Facebook and here in reddit for being too woke? And about a first female lead, what wrong with that too?”
Responding to the post, one user explained what the main debate was in the GTA community.
They wrote that things like a Latina female lead and a “concerted effort to not ‘punch down’ by making jokes about marginalized groups” had lead to some people concluding Rockstar was ‘going woke.’
They continued: “Some in this group feel that part of the appeal of the GTA series is that ‘it makes fun of everybody’ and that the changes are going to turn away series fans in an attempt to appeal to a group that won’t buy GTA VI anyways.”
Others agreed that they had no idea what the fuss was about, pointing out that the moment you actually listen to the dialogue of GTA games and their stories, you realise that they’ve all been ‘woke’ but that they just were released when there wasn’t such a focus on culture wars in society.
Making this very point, one person wrote: “My favourite part about this ‘controversy’ is that if you spend 5 minutes in GTA V or GTA IV looking at and listening to the in-game culture and commercials and movies and whatnot; they’re all woke as f**k, there just wasn’t that term/the culture wars 10 years ago when 5 came out.”
Related links:
Report suggests Grand Theft Auto 6 will be the most expensive game ever made
Actor who played Trevor on GTA VI recorded lines in his underwear and couldn’t stop farting on set
Release date set for Grand Theft Auto 6, according to rumours
