Rockstar Games has done an excellent job bringing GTA Online to where it is today. These days, the multiplayer component for Grand Theft Auto 5 is a standalone game with more content than most people would know what to do with. As much as there is a lot already to do in GTA Online, the game could have had even more.
According to Bloomberg, Rockstar shelved a GTA Online mode similar to GTA 4's "Cops 'n' Crooks." The report suggests that the mode would have added a "twist on the children's game where players organize into teams of good guys and bad guys." Rockstar is believed to have canned the mode after senior executives felt like the public might misinterpret the narrative "during a time of heightened skepticism and mistrust of American police."
In particular, the general public had negative opinions on law enforcement in the summer of 2020 following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer.
The report adds that Rockstar doesn't have any plans to bring back the mode in the future as part of the company's plans to be more politically woke.
Rockstar is not a stranger to controversy. However, recent events have forced the company to make several changes. The report explains that Rockstar has taken several steps towards changing the narrative and improving its internal culture. To accomplish this, Rockstar has converted several contractual employees to full-time and added mental health breaks, all in a bid to change the perception about its crunch-happy workplace environment.
Interestingly enough, cancelations appear to have become a recurring theme for Rockstar Games these days.
The report comes on the back of rumors that Rockstar also shifted its resources to work on GTA Online and GTA 6 at the expense of remasters of GTA 4 and Red Dead Redemption as well as a next-gen Red Dead Redemption 2 upgrade.
