One New Feature Seen In GTA 6 Leaks Is Absurdly Ironic

Just about everything that’s currently known about the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 has been revealed through leaks of the game’s development, and one particular feature stands out as notably ironic under the circumstances. It’s been over a decade since the original release of Grand Theft Auto 5 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, making the wait for the next entry a long one. The space between has only been filled by ports of GTA 5 to newer systems and continuing updates to GTA Online, which regularly generates money principally through the purchasable currency of Shark Cash Cards.

It’s no surprise that the lack of updates about the franchise’s future has driven aggressive interest in any GTA 6 information that can be acquired, and everything that’s been learned through leaks has been passed around just about every corner of the internet. It’s easy for some of the smallest details to get lost behind the bigger ones. However, news like a male and female character sharing the role of protagonist takes up plenty of attention. Features that were only briefly mentioned in leaked material could have just as big of an impact on the game, and examining them could point to some of its most unique changes from previous titles.

Hacking Is An Ironic Grand Theft Auto 6 Feature

According to leaks so far, one element that Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to feature is hacking, something that previously hasn’t gotten much of a spotlight in the series. The GTA series traditionally focused more on the explosive, high-intensity sort of crime rather than comparatively tame crimes like blackhat cyber-infractions, but GTA 4 and 5 both continued to diversify just what all the games had to offer. The evidence for hacking in GTA 6 comes from the apparent lineup of tools in the game, which includes a number of names that point toward digital applications.

Hacking seems like a perfectly reasonable addition to the Grand Theft Auto franchise, but the way it ties into the current situation surrounding the game is at least a little darkly amusing. Developer Rockstar Games has long had to fend off accusations that the GTA games encourage violence, with various politicians and lobbyists eager to fling blame for crimes at a piece of media that’s all about it. In this case, one element that’s set to add new criminal possibilities to GTA 6 is mirrored by the hacking being employed to the company’s detriment in real life, an ironically unfortunate situation for the studio.

It’s ultimately unlikely that the Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks do much to deter a successful launch for the game, which will follow up on a franchise that’s been extraordinarily successful over the years. They can still prove troublesome, however, especially considering how many people are unwilling to extend charity to a work in progress. Leaked footage that was less than graphically impressive incurred some backlash, although Rockstar’s pedigree should make it obvious that the final product will meet a much higher standard for how it looks and plays.

GTA 6 Is Following In The Footprints Of Watch Dogs

This won’t be the first time that hacking has played a major role in an open-world crime game, as Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs series built its brand around this very idea. Like many titles in similar genres, Watch Dogs was subject to plenty of comparisons to Grand Theft Auto, so there’s also a touch of irony in seeing GTA 6 loop around to include a major element from an alleged imitator. Hacking is unlikely to be a primary focus for GTA 6 in the way that it is for the Watch Dogs trilogy, but it does bring the franchises closer together than ever before.

Enjoying the possibilities of hacking in Grand Theft Auto 6 could be the best of both worlds, as Watch Dogs never attempted to deliver on the full scale of GTA‘s strengths. That isn’t to say that the Ubisoft franchise was never a success — the second game garnered a positive reception for its wide-ranging improvements to the ideas established in the first — but few games ever manage open worlds that are comparable to what Rockstar is known for crafting. Opening up a playground for hacking within the rumored GTA 6 setting of Vice City can fulfill on fantasies in an entirely new way.

How Hacking Works In Grand Theft Auto 6

The Grand Theft Auto 6 hacking system seems to work through the use of a variety of tools, taking a more diverse approach than restricting all cyber crime to the use of a cell phone. One fairly pedestrian tool that nevertheless has big implications is the USB drive. Although USB drives were already present in GTA 5, having one be an actual tool for a protagonist to keep on hand implies greater flexibility of use, with possibilities like acquiring data and introducing viruses to systems potentially moving to a broader sphere of gameplay beyond specific missions.

Other hacking tools have more to do with the classic types of Grand Theft Auto crime, including the titular one. An immobilizer bypass should allow for a higher-tech method of nabbing a luxury car, although simple carjackings should still be in the game in their traditional capacity. A tracker jammer offers a similarly advanced solution to any kind of troublesome GPS tracking, which might be a good way to shake the police off of a hot trail. None of these tools necessarily imply an overall focus on hacking, but they do bring a little more technology into things than ever before.

It won’t be possible to get a clear picture of just how all elements of hacking play into GTA 6 as a whole until Rockstar officially reveals gameplay and features, but the tools present in leaks do provide grounds for interesting speculation. The sandbox possibilities of GTA games should offer a great way to play around with these tools, regardless of how robust the implementation ends up being. Hacking is definitely an intriguing addition to Grand Theft Auto 6, but it’s hard to ignore the irony considering the troubles with leaks that the game is facing.