Summary
Fans are finally in the home stretch of the decade-plus wait forGrand Theft Auto 6, with the December 2023 reveal trailer for the title making the project feel more real than ever. While the high-profile leaks for the game spoiled some of the fun of this trailer, the confirmation of the title going back to the iconic Vice City and the revealed details about the release’s protagonists were still deeply exciting.
The reveal trailer forGrand Theft Auto 6focused heavily on one of the game’s two protagonists, Lucia. Showing her time in prison and her relationship with the title’s other protagonist, Jason, Lucia is set to be the first major female protagonist inGrand Theft Auto’s entire history. It is interesting thatGTA 6has decided to tone things down compared to the three protagonists of 2013’sGrand Theft Auto 5, but focusing on two main playable characters will allow the upcoming game to flesh out Jason and Lucia a lot more. Despite this difference between both games,GTA 6can still use its multiple protagonists to face players with some very tough choices at the end of the title’s story, much likeGTA 5.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Can Learn Some Lessons From GTA 5’s Multiple Endings Approach
Having three simultaneous protagonists was one ofthe boldest statements thatGrand Theft Auto 5had for its main story, with Michael, Trevor, and Franklin each offering perspectives from different sides of the criminal underworld. Being able to switch between these characters on the fly was deeply impressive from a gameplay perspective at the time, while also offering a unique twist to how players approached and understood the game’s most important figures.
Withso much time having passed since the release ofGrand Theft Auto 5, Rockstar is perhaps aware that this amount of protagonist variety is not as impressive from a modern gameplay perspective, instead opting for a dual protagonist approach for the upcomingGTA 6. One of the most obvious benefits of this story element is that it condenses the player’s attention down to two central characters, allowing Rockstar to flesh these protagonists out much more than it could with three over the course of a single game.
Of course,GTA 5still managed to put a lot of character development into its core trio, with the game’s endings being a reflection of this.GTA 5famously ended by presenting the player with three options, which ultimately decide the deaths of Michael, Trevor, or potentially all three through the “Deathwish” option. Players are ultimately rewarded for choosing the Deathwish approach, but the uncertainty of its outcome led to some tough decisions over the fates ofGTA 5’s most iconic characters.
Jason and Lucia’s Deeper Connection Could Give GTA 6’s Endings Even More Meaning
With one less protagonist,Grand Theft Auto 6can still use this ending framework, with the game having the benefit of exploring a vastly different dynamic between its main characters compared toGTA 5. The trailer forGTA 6finally confirmed the reports that Jason and Lucia are romantically involved, and the stakes of their relationship and the concept of betrayal will be accelerated with an ending similar toGrand Theft Auto 5’s.
Rumors also heavily point towardsJason being an undercover police officer throughoutGTA 6’s story, and this could easily lead to some explosive final confrontations between the game’s two protagonists. WhileGTA 6could also benefit from moving completely away from the ending formula of its predecessor, two protagonists could still easily foster the same multi-faceted approach that decides different fates for each of them, with Rockstar having a lot more room to develop both figures over the course of the game.
