{"id":1193741,"date":"2026-02-17T18:43:40","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T18:43:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=597869"},"modified":"2026-02-17T18:43:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T18:43:40","slug":"the-gta-6-trailer-makes-rockstars-changed-politics-very-clear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-gta-6-trailer-makes-rockstars-changed-politics-very-clear\/","title":{"rendered":"The GTA 6 trailer makes Rockstar\u2019s changed politics very clear"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Back in 2022, Bloomberg reported that \u201cRockstar Games cleaned up its frat-boy culture \u2013 and Grand Theft Auto, too<\/a>.\u201d The changes took shape in different ways, from less crunch<\/a> to a narrowing of the gender pay gap for workers at the studio, and to the introduction of the game\u2019s first playable female character, a Latina named Lucia. And now, in the second trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6<\/em>, we\u2019re seeing that the game\u2019s marketing has changed a bit from previous entries, too.<\/p>\n

To illustrate the difference, let\u2019s go back in time to the marketing of smash hit GTA 5<\/em>, which was released in 2013. The game\u2019s first trailer came out in 2011<\/a>, its second in 2012<\/a>. There were three protagonists, and both of the trailers feature a lot of voiceover from Michael de Santa (Ned Luke), a career criminal who\u2019s now seeing a therapist as part of a Tony Soprano-esque midlife crisis. The trailers mostly focus on action; there are exciting car chases and a big crime spree involving collaboration between the three main characters, although the other two don\u2019t get as much screen time as Michael in these first two trailers.<\/p>\n

The series\u2019 sense of humor \u2014 which arguably does skew towards making fun of right-wing targets<\/a>, despite the series\u2019 notorious depiction of sex workers<\/a> and women in general<\/a> \u2014 isn\u2019t really on display. But it is clear from GTA 5<\/em>\u2019s early marketing that the three protagonists are very much antiheroes. You might be playing as them, but you aren\u2019t necessarily going to agree <\/em>with what they\u2019re doing. That\u2019s fine. You\u2019re here to do crimes and embrace your id, after all, so playing as somebody unlikable makes sense, right?<\/p>\n

GTA 6<\/em>\u2019s early marketing has a different vibe. These first two trailers are much more focused on character drama rather than pure action. Also, while Jason and Lucia are clearly antiheroes as well, clearly resorting to a life of crime, these trailers also make them seem \u2026 well, likable<\/a>. Especially Lucia.<\/p>\n

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