The latest GTA VI leaks are full of ominous omens. They also give rise to some interesting speculation about a more salacious aspect of the game…

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, especially regarding GTA VI, but let’s face it: the game’s development is not going smoothly. After previous surprising leaks, disturbing news and a significant delay, we now have news of another ominous development.

According to leaks of the game’s release schedule, the developers are targeting the 2024 holiday season, and that deadline means they’ll have to cut parts of the main game to meet that timeframe.

The cut content will then be released as DLC, which fans rightly see as a severe threat.

GTA VI has been in development for a decade. This excruciating reality is a devastating blow to fans despite their excitement about the possibilities the game offers. While the graphics are reportedly “light years ahead” of Red Dead Redemption 2, that doesn’t mean everyone is positive about the next instalment of GTA. As one Redditor summed up perfectly what we all think about the eventual release, “If we end up waiting 13 years for this game and it’s not the best video game ever”, it could be a bitter disappointment for many.

When a leak suggests that the game’s final phase will be rushed to fit some silly holiday schedule, it’s a real cause for concern. Nevertheless, such leaks should not be treated as fact. Often, even the data miners who are supposed to be benign are not infallible.

These facts may sound harsh, but they are true nonetheless; Tez2, for those who don’t know, doesn’t work for Rockstar Games; his main credo is datamining GTA games.

Although they’ve done a good job of uncovering secrets in the past, this latest “leak” is speculation at best. However, regardless of what you think about the authenticity of the source, this DLC hint is worrying. As one Redditor eloquently put it, “The f**king wait for this game is just borderline insane. It’s been more than a decade, this game better be f**king revolutionary.”

Romance and sex workers in GTA VI?!

Among the latest rumours, there has also been talk of what kind of romance options will be in the game? Or whether they will include “ladies of the night”, as one Redditor called them? Rumours about the romance system confirm that the two main characters could be in a passive or romantic relationship. Still, any further leaks are music to our ears, especially when such a dynamic system allows for more open-ended gameplay.

There is no concrete evidence yet, but it seems that romance with sex workers will continue to be part of the GTA IV ethos, despite the worried cries of several men on Reddit.

Sex workers have been a staple of the NPC roster in GTA games, and their presence has brought some realism and a darker tone to the games. Regardless of how we feel about the phenomenon in real life, sex workers are an integral part of the rich content of the franchise. It would be a hypocritical move, to say the least, to remove them on the grounds of morality from a game that is effectively a crime simulator. As one player said on the subject, the game will have “male and female” sex workers, which would be a step forward.

Then there’s the question of whether the dynamic romance system will be based on the RDR2 honour code? For example, if you cheat on someone, you get negative feedback from your in-game partner.

GTA, however, is as far away from honour as possible: “GTA is an exaggerated take on the real world. It’s meant to be fun & a bit out there,” explains Redditor Minute-Better, making honour-based systems seem unlikely.

So, there is a lot of drama around the game. Moreover, it is far from finished, and we don’t know if the developers will be given enough time to finish the game properly. If nothing else, we can take comfort in the fact that sex, romance and friendship will be part of the experience. As well as, presumably, the graphics and gameplay will beat RDR2, which we are eagerly awaiting…

Source: Reddit (1, 2)