Reputable technology news site TechRadar recently posted an article reporting on some information the site received from a source "close to Rockstar" about some past possibilities for GTA games, as well as "official word" on GTA 6. Now, if this were pretty much any other site, we'd just file this under "sensationalist lies trying to drive up clicks desperately", but TechRadar has a solid reputation and is one of the leading sources when it comes to tech news, so we're inclined to believe them.
GTA games have been massively popular from the beginning and thanks to the internet, the fan community always had a channel of interaction with one another. More or less ever since the franchise got really popular, the release of a new game in the series always instantly set off speculation on what the next one will be like.
Even though the 2D era dallied in a London setting, the vast majority of GTA games were set in satirical re-imaginings of cities in the United States. As such, one of the most common speculation — or wish — in the community was another game set abroad, possibly in a more exotic setting.
Since Sleeping Dogs beat GTA to the punch of an open-world crime game prominently featuring vehicles and gangs set in a large Asian city, Rockstar will probably be avoiding something similar in order to distance itself from the other franchise. However, this doesn't mean they weren't considering it.
TechRadar's source claims that GTA: Tokyo was once a serious plan on Rockstar's part, so much so that the team traveled to the city to do some recon. The developer always sends part of their squad out to the city on which they are basing the setting of a new game prior to beginning actual work.
While the team allegedly liked the city as a potential setting, the game was eventually dropped. GTA has established itself with several gaming-pop-culture icons with the fantasy in-universe brands and characters, all of which are a satirical twist on real-life American brands and public figures.
Taking this to an entirely new culture, setting and environment would have taken much of the GTA magic out of a game set in Tokyo. This is probably also the reason why the Bogota game was also eventually cancelled before the team even made it on scene for a recon trip. While many fans are clamoring for GTA games set abroad, this is unlikely to happen.
However, just to bring good news as well as bad, the source also revealed a tiny tidbit of info about the future of the franchise. While it is hardly groundbreaking, as pretty much everyone already knows this was inevitable, if confirmed this will be the first official statement regarding the topic.
Long story short, the Rockstar source confirmed that GTA VI is indeed under development as we speak. Considering the massive success of GTA V and absolutely no reason for Rockstar or Take-Two to finally end one of the most iconic franchises in video game history, everyone knew it was coming.
The fact that we know now that the next game in the series is under development hopefully means that it has been for some time, but for all we know it could have entered this stage in 2016. That would be unfortunate, as we know Rockstar doesn't rush its games and the amount of polish it would work into the next GTA game is bound to leave the game with a 5+ year development cycle.
With this announcement, chances are that Take-Two's major E3 presence this year will be related to GTA VI, despite most rumors suggesting a different, if not entirely new, IP.
What kind of a setting are you hoping for in GTA VI?
