PARTNERS IN CRIME
Multiple protagonists worked well before, and could be a great way to add a female protagonist
My baby sister is my Los Santos correspondent. Boasting hundreds of levels in GTA Online (and hundreds of hours spent screaming about ne’er-do-wells interfering with her latest choice shipment) it goes without saying she knows those streets like the back of her hand. She’s also played every offline entry she could get her hands on but between us we struggle to think of a female character not done dirty by the series.
Earlier mainline entries are infamous for the leering gaze targeted on female characters and an abysmal attitude towards sex workers. Recent online updates have been crawling towards treating newly introduced female characters more evenhandedly, but the series definitely has a long way to go.
If Rockstar wanted to commit to this shift in direction, featuring a female protagonist in GTA VI would be putting its money where its mouth is. Obviously if this did come to pass I’d be hoping for the best and prepared for the worst (alongside almost every other female fan of the series), but let’s be optimistic for the moment.
DYNAMIC DUO
Following on from GTA V’s multiprotagonist premise, slotting in two new leads with a Bonnie-and-Clyde dynamic would make for a compelling reinvention. A plot centring on a power couple committed to each other (as well as their life of crime) would not only allow for playful mid-heist banter but also very near and dear stakes when the opening act stickup inevitably goes wrong. After all, we all know how the real-world Bonnie and Clyde’s story ended – could this couple avoid a similar fate?
GTA V’s Los Santos remains impressive in scope but the next game could expand on this locale. For instance, the immediate fallout from that doomed, hypothetical heist could see the twin protagonists separated and turn GTA VI into a tale of two cities. ‘Clyde’ could end up stranded in Los Santos while ‘Bonnie’ could’ve slipped away to a city across the pond not seen since the series only boasted two whole dimensions. With a bit of luck, maybe ‘Bonnie’ will boast characterisation that’s more multidimensional too. Jess Kinghorn