Grand Theft Auto 5 has been the gold standard for open world games since its release in 2013. The virtual display of Rockstar Games of Los Angeles comes with an extraordinary amount of cosmetics and neighborhood vehicles that make Los Santos unusually immersive.
But now that GTA 6 is reported in the works, Rockstar must disclose one small detail of GTA 5 in a more fully formed function to make true GTA 6 the most intense open world game ever released: A robust and fully functional social media platform.
GTA 5 has already had parodies for Facebook and Twitter, hilariously called LifeInvader and Bleeter, respectively. Both joke sites are already thoroughly detailed and can be subscribed to by one of the game’s three protagonists, who each have drastically different news feeds. But what if Rockstar transforms its gag social media site into more of a primary game mechanic in the future single-player and multiplayer modes of GTA 6?
The company has tried to push in this direction by offering Stalking Perks, as well as in-game bonuses that can be purchased by browsing the real LiveInvader website. The feature was pretty new when the game first came out, but Rockstar needs to level this feature GTA 6 by informing players about these in-game parody pages and information about computer-controlled characters.
It would be incredibly immersive if players could tell, say and learn about a person or a company on LifeInvader about their daily routine. They could then use this information to mess with heists, robberies, or just mess with one of the thousands of inhabitants of the virtual world.
Rockstar could try to imitate the technology used by Ubisoft for the upcoming 2021 release of Watch Dogs: Legion allowing the game to generate millions of playable characters, each with its own unique features. This way, if you put a fitness junkie inside GTA 6, they will post about protein shakes and what gymnastics they participate in, while an angry gamer might be talking people on his timeline and posting photos of his new PC.
GTA 6 could also use these fake social media platforms to inform character about random world events they might choose to crash. For example, you can get a notification that there will be a limited time exotic car that shows in a very far distance from the city that you can attend and whether you can even park or buy a supercar. This functionality could be extended to GTA 6 Online also as a more open, functional social media platform.
Rockstar could create Online-specific profiles that players could use on a server to meet everyone, or the developer could even let gamers LifeInvader and Bleeter set up their own virtual events and meetings, as they would with Facebook and Twitter. Imagine if Rockstar could develop these apps in some way and have them both function in-game, but also as phone apps in real life? It feels like a vaporware pipedream, but for a developer at the cutting edge who always likes to dream big, it seems possible, if not now then sometimes in the future.
The parody social platforms GTA 5 are a huge gag, but it’s time for Rockstar to transform them into a definitive next-generation feature.
GTA 6 is reported in development.
