Summary
The world of the upcomingGrand Theft Auto 6seems more real than ever thanks to the game’s official reveal trailer in December 2023, with fans getting their first tentative glimpses at a reimagined portrayal of the iconic Vice City. Despite this trailer only being brief, it managed to convey the tone that the project will weave throughout its narrative and core setting, and it seems that the franchise’s penchant for cultural satire is once again at the forefront of this.
Online influencer culture has exploded in popularity since 2013, and this is one element of society that is ripe for satirization inGrand Theft Auto 6. While it is likely that Rockstar will conjure up fictional influencers inGTA 6’s story in an attempt to do this, it also offers an excellent opportunity to collaborate with real-world celebrities who may be willing to play caricatures of themselves in the anticipated project. 2020’sCyberpunk 2077had a lot of fun with using real life YouTubers, musicians, and more to flesh out its game world, andGTA 6should absolutely continue this trend.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Should Beef Up its World with Celebrity Cameos
It is already clear that social media is going to have a much larger presence inGrand Theft Auto 6when compared to 2013’sGTA 5, with the reveal trailer for the upcoming game showing off livestreams that may show in-game events happening in real time for the player. Streamer and influencer culture has expanded significantly over the past decade, for example, andsatire based around influencer culture would be a perfect match forGrand Theft Auto 6.
Rockstar titles pride themselves on side-content with unique and memorable characters, and influencer-type characters will surely be at the center of a lot of optional interactions that the player can come across inGTA 6. A similar breadth of content was present in 2020’sCyberpunk 2077, withthe dystopian world of Night Citybeing portrayed through its NPCs, and the title smartly used real-world figures in some of these interactions.
ThroughoutCyberpunk 2077, players can come across characters that take the likeness, voice, and sometimes even names of celebrities, withthe likes of Hideo Kojima, Grimes, Jesse Cox, and Alanah Pearce appearing in this capacity. Many of these figures have ties to the gaming industry or the world ofCyberpunk, and their in-game appearances offered an excellent and comedic way to bridge the gap between fiction and reality.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Could Revive the Franchise’s Celebrity Past
Celebrities have appeared as themselves inGrand Theft Autoin the past, with Ricky Gervais famously having a comedy show segment inGTA 4, though this practice was significantly dialed back forGTA 5. Now thatCyberpunk 2077has distanced itself from its problematic launch, the level of engagement that its open world offers is considered a serious achievement, and so, Rockstar could learn from its celebrity collaborations.
From what fans have already seen ofGrand Theft Auto 6, the increased presence of in-game social media makes celebrity and influencer appearances all the more plausible. Streamers likeAdin Ross have already claimed to be featured inGTA 6’s game world, and while this remains unsubstantiated, it shows that there is clear room for the upcoming game to directly link itself to real life figures. The near unrivaled success ofGrand Theft Auto 5has significantly raised the profile of the franchise over the past decade, and it seems likely that a huge range of celebrities would rush to the opportunity of being immortalized in the upcoming game.
Grand Theft Auto 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
