New information has come to light about GTA 6, and specifically the partnership of its main characters, Jason and Lucia. In GTA 6, they are both partners in crime and lovers, and physical intimacy will be part of the experience, it seems.
Rockstar North's Rob Nelson said in an interview with IGN that physical intimacy is a "huge part" of a relationship, and that applies to GTA 6. Exactly how this may operate in GTA 6, however, remains a mystery. "It has to be done right," Nelson said.
"Like anything that we do, we have to iterate and try things and iterate on it until we figure out what feels right," he explained.
GTA 6's ESRB rating says the game will have nudity and strong sexual content, and IGN reported that when switching characters, it can switch to Jason's POV while he is naked and in the shower. An international rating for GTA 6 specifically mentions how the game will have "sex scenes."
The GTA series has had its fair share of sex-related controversy. One of gaming’s biggest controversies ever, the Hot Coffee surrounding GTA: San Andreas saw Rockstar owner Take-Two paying out money to settle suits related to a mod in GTA: San Andreas’ PC edition that unlocked an interactive sex minigame.
As of yet, there is no indication that any sex scenes in GTA 6 would be interactive.
Also in the interview, Nelson discussed Jason and Lucia's relationship generally, saying players will be able to "role-play" their relationship, and "it's amazing."
GTA 6's story is narratively structured around Jason and Lucia, and the two of them working together. They don't have to be a couple, though, and instead can be simply "partners in crime" who are not romantically involved.
"I don’t want to say too much more about this because I don’t want to spoil anything. It really adds a compelling element to things, and it’s one of the reasons we wanted to approach this sort of story, because it's completely different for us," he said. "Could we bring some sort of emotional resonance to GTA for people if they wanted to engage with it? Could we also provide mechanisms for people to just opt out of it if they're not into it? If they feel like, ‘I don't want a relationship in this?’ That's what we're going to find out. It's not something that we want to foist upon players."
Nelson went on to say GTA 6 will not give players "a particular gameplay benefit" if they have Jason and Lucia become lovers, however. But they will always have the benefit of "working together and having each other's back," he said.
"Whether they're romantically close or not doesn't change that. They will still work together. It's really about what you want for them, their story, and how it plays out. Whether you've nurtured the relationship or not will definitely have a bearing on how their story plays out," Nelson explained.
GTA 6 has a dedicated "relationship system" that is separate from a different gameplay system that tracks what sort of a criminal you are, Nelson said. Players can nurture the relationship between Jason and Lucia in the ways you would expect, including spending time together with things like kayaking and mini-golf. Or they can grow their relationship by robbing stores together.
"However players want to spend that time together, it will have a positive impact on the relationship," he said.
GTA 6's narrative setup has been likened to Bonnie and Clyde, the famous real-world criminal couple who met their end in a hail of gunfire. Many are wondering if both Jason and Lucia will make it out alive in GTA 6, or at the least, how their relationship may be tested. Another popular fan theory is that either Jason or Lucia is actually working with the Feds and will turn on the other at some point.
it won't be much longer until we find out, as GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
