Rockstar says GTA 6 encourages empathy, a first for the series

Rob Nelson, co-head of Rockstar North studio, says GTA 6 is the first game in the series to actively encourage empathy, at least for players who want it. In an interview with The Guardian, spotted by IGN, Nelson said the studio tried “for the first time in a GTA to provide mechanics that encourage it”, and tied the change to Jason and Lucia’s story. He described the couple as a young couple running out of options, so their first jobs were limited to low-level tasks like stealing cheaper cars and picking easy locks, with bigger jobs coming later.

But crime isn’t going anywhere. Nelson called it a fundamental part of GTA and said Rockstar doesn’t want to penalize players for sticking to the old GTA formula, even though what they do will always shape how things play out to some extent. Apparently, Jason and Lucia’s relationship can rise or fall depending on how players treat it. Previous previews also detailed a criminal profile system that tracks how violently players commit crimes, with states ranging from Professional to Psycho, and it could “break” for good if players continue to overdo it.

Rockstar hasn’t explained what these empathy mechanics actually entail or how far the consequences go, so it’s hard to say how much they will change the usual GTA experience. Players will find out soon enough, as GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, although it only targets 30 FPS. It’s already the most pre-ordered game ever on the PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store.