Rockstar Games has its work cut out for them handling the next installment of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Producing another entry in such a juggernaut of a series is difficult enough, but for a game of its nature to come out in our current sociopolitical climate, it'll be tough not to step on anyone's toes.
The latest change they've decided to make to the series was simply the name.
"We didn't want to keep pushing this image of non-white colored people committing grand felonies and perpetuating the idea of black crime and black violence. We thought it was time to dial it back a notch, and show that just because you're black, doesn't mean you're a criminal." Rockstar's rep said in an exclusive interview.
The latest entry, dubbed "Mostly Peaceful Theft Auto", will feature all of the mayhem and carnage you expect, but now with the gentle reminder that the majority of car thefts and bank heists happen to be done peacefully.
"Just because you steal a tank, run down a street full of pedestrians, and blast a couple hookers into a fine pink mist with military grade weaponry, it shouldn't take away from the fact that the black population are only fighting for their rights in this flawed system and are mostly peaceful."
The gameplay itself will not change at all, and Rockstar is hoping to push the limits even more than last time with fully interactive war crime quick time events.
"We don't want our black audiences to feel like we're shaming them for their culture. We want all of our customers to feel accepted and motivated to spend money on our games and microtransactions. We'll make the blood that shoots out of the hookers rainbow to celebrate LGBT pride if we have to. Anything to show that we care about the community."
Rockstar did, however, specify that it wanted to fully discourage anyone from looting copies of the game or pirating their copies online. That, you need to get a job and pay for.
Mostly Peaceful Theft Auto VI will be releasing sometime next year for next-gen consoles.