Image via Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games went far beyond conventional research while creating GTA 6’s fictional state of Leonida. The extensive research is expected to help Rockstar make Leonida feel more believable and detailed when GTA 6 arrives. GTA 6’s Leonida is heavily inspired by Florida, with Vice City serving as the game’s fictional take on Miami. We try to build a world that is believable and varied, with depth, so that is the research we need,” Garbut added. This approach could prove particularly relevant to GTA 6, which follows protagonists Jason and Lucia as they become involved in a criminal underworld in Leonida. Rockstar also used aerial research to capture parts of Florida that would be difficult to understand from the ground. That’s our research trips — experiencing those extremes so that we can bring them into our world, and it all finds its way into the game in surprising ways,” Garbut continued. These details aren’t limited to major locations or missions. Because players are expected to spend hundreds of hours exploring GTA 6’s world. Rockstar has historically placed significant emphasis on creating detailed open worlds, and GTA 6 appears to continue that approach, rockstar said elements such as pedestrian conversations, radio programmes and advertisements can also be influenced by its research. The studio does not consider these elements secondary content, particularly.
The goal was to understand not just what Florida looks like, but also its people, culture, stories and the extremes that define the state. In an interview with Love, Rockstar Games Head of Development Aaron Garbut revealed that these research trips became an important part of the development process, with developers documenting everything from landscapes and local communities to the more unsettling side of Florida.
Rockstar’s research team travelled across the state to understand the locations and culture that would eventually shape the game world. Speaking to Love Magazine, Garbut said the research trips typically begin with a small group scouting locations and exploring stories and ideas to incorporate into the game. It’s where to get to explore both the place and our ideas as a group,” Garbut said. Garbut said he carries a camera and phone during these trips to document what the team encounters. During one research trip, Rockstar developers reportedly flew low and fast over mangrove inlets in the Everglades before ending the day above a stadium hosting a live Beyoncé concert. “I think we made the local news that day,” Garbut noted. Garbut said Rockstar avoids directly recreating viral real-world moments because GTA games take years to develop, meaning references to specific events can quickly become outdated. Instead, GTA 6 will focus its satire on modern culture, conspiracy theories and “the strange ways people react to events.” You use AI every day.
The development team travelled across Florida, explored Miami and the Florida Keys , visited nightclubs and other locations, and spent time with people ranging from police officers and locals to gang members. Subsequent trips then involve more team members who spend additional time understanding the people, culture, and places. “Every game we make starts with research trips. “To begin, a small group of us spent some time traveling from Miami through some of the surrounding towns and through the Florida Keys down to Key West. This is one of the best parts of the entire project: a car full of friends, driving for days on end, talking about what we want to make and being immersed in the locations and our ideas.” The research went beyond simply photographing buildings and landscapes. Rockstar developers reportedly spent time with locals, police officers and gang members to understand different sides of life in Florida. “We do go in-depth, we hang with locals and we hear lots of stories and learn as much as we can. We travel around with cops and with gang members. Everyone is lovely. Some people are equally scary. We experience the underside as well; although the people who showed us around were among the nicest we’ve met, the stories, the places, the details could be terrifying. The research allowed Rockstar to capture details of Florida’s landscape that could influence how Leonida looks and feels in the game. For Rockstar, understanding Florida also meant experiencing Miami’s contrasting sides and those of the surrounding areas. “Miami itself is really those extremes — lovely people, incredible wealth, incredible poverty, excess, craziness, the hustle, and showing it all off. Rather than treating the environment as a backdrop, the studio wants Leonida to feel like a living world with its own people, stories and culture. The company is also taking a deliberate approach to satire. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.