AfterGrand Theft Auto 5’s unusually long life, Rockstar Games is hard at work onGrand Theft Auto 6, although no release window for the highly anticipated title has been provided. Already there have been numerous rumors and speculations surroundingGrand Theft Auto 6, illustrating how excited fans are. Common rumors claim the game will take place in different time periods with a dynamic, constantly updated environment. Others argue thatGTA 6, likeGTA 5, will feature multiple protagonists.
Multiple protagonists were first introduced to theGrand Theft Autoseries inGTA 5, and the game shows how useful it can be to switch between characters. Each of the three playable characters are unique and have their own ways of interpreting the world. It would be wise forRockstar Gamesto implement the same mechanic inGTA 6, as it makes it easier to explore a large map and allows players to view the same story from different perspectives.
RELATED:Why Some Grand Theft Auto 6 Fans Think It’ll Take Place in Vice City
Multiple Protagonists Make Exploring Large Maps Easier
InGrand Theft Auto 5, the three protagonists could not be any more different, but they must somehow work as a team.Franklin Clintonis a gangster who is close friends with a fast talker named Lamar. He has no qualms about doing crime, but he wants more for himself and realizes being a petty criminal will not get him out of the downtown Los Santos slums. Trevor Philips and Michael De Santa used to be in a gang together, but after a failed heist they parted ways, and Michael fakes his death to live a life of luxury while Trevor lives in a trailer on the outskirts of the state.
WithLos Santosbeing such a large place, having three protagonists to jump between makes it easier to get around the map. Franklin usually lingers around the lower parts of the map, Michael can be found in the city, and Trevor roams the dusty streets of Sandy Shores.GTA 6’s map will likely dwarfGTA 5, which is already impressively large, making navigation a chore without convenient methods to get around. Fast travel is an easy option, but having multiple protagonists is a creative solution that solves the problem while providing a fun gameplay mechanic .
Multiple Protagonists See the Same Story From Different Perspectives
One of the biggest benefits to having multiple protagonists is that it allows players to see the same story through different eyes.GTA 5’s crime story may seem simple at first, but having multiple protagonists complicates it, allowing the game to have a greater replay value. Although Trevor appears to be an amoral sociopath, he cares far more about Michael’s betrayal than he does about any potential money there is to be earned. On the other hand, Michael cannot keep his eyes off the money, and living a calm family life makes him restless. Franklin can be seen as the middle between the two, and he must choose whether he will follow Michael’s path or remember his roots and not turn his back on old friends.
RELATED:Will Grand Theft Auto 6’s Single-Player Have the Same Impact as Red Dead 2’s
To tell a singular story from the perspective of one protagonist will feel like a downgrade considering how gamers got to experienceGTA 5. If Rockstar wishes forGTA 6to have as long a lifespan, the inclusion ofmultiple playable characters inGTA 6is one of the best strategies to use, as it encourages players to replay the game and see what the story looks like when they focus on a different protagonist. The way different characters perceive the situation they are in could be affected by their backgrounds, forcing players to think more critically about various scenarios.
Multiple Protagonists Open the Way For a Female Character
TheGrand Theft Autoseries has had a variety of memorable protagonists throughout its history, including the mute Claude fromGTA 3, CJ the gangster fromGTA: San Andreas, and Johnny the mean biker fromGTA 4: The Lost and Damned. Despite the variety of protagonists that have appeared, female characters have been conspicuously absent. Some argue that female protagonists are incompatible withGrand Theft Auto, but inGTA: Online, plenty of players have chosen to create female characters, and it has not dampened their fun.
Having one of the multiple protagonists in GTA 6 be a woman could help warm players up to the idea. As is the case inGTA 5, she could have her own unique ability, her own section of the map where she roams, and her own vehicle to call upon. The inclusion of afemale protagonist inGTA 6may be just what the series needs to breathe new life into it, introducing a completely new perspective into the rags-to-riches crime story so that the game appeals to a wider audience.
Of allRockstar’s franchises, theGrand Theft Autoseries is the most profitable and popular. For this reason, the company will likely spare no expense when it comes to ensuring thatGTA 6stands the test of time. As usual, the next entry in theGTAseries should help propel open-world gaming forward and introduce innovations that will be adopted by other studios. However, Rockstar should not throw away all its old idea, especially the idea of multiple protagonists, as the benefits it provides are too good to give up.
The next entry in theGrand Theft Autoseries is currently in development.
MORE:Red Dead 3 May Have a Harder Time Succeeding RDR2 Than GTA 6 Does GTA 5
