Take-Two Boss Addresses GTA 6 Violence Concerns

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home February 12, 2025 3 Views 4 Min Read
Take-Two Boss Addresses GTA 6 Violence Concerns
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Summary

  • Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick is not worried about GTA 6 causing real-world violence.
  • Media scrutiny about the GTA series’ alleged links to promoting violence will likely to continue.

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has addressed violence concerns surrounding Grand Theft Auto 6, claiming he’s “not worried.” Each release of a GTA title includes discussions about video games inspiring real-world violence, and that’s no different with Grand Theft Auto 6.

When Grand Theft Auto 5 was released, it broke franchise records with a story that focused on three protagonists that the player could switch between. Like any other title in the series, it also featured a massive open world that gamers could immerse themselves in whether they wanted to progress through the campaign or not. Since its original release on Xbox 360 and PS3, it has been ported to PC and received remasters on modern hardware. The introduction to Xbox Series X/S and PS5 added a first-person mode, emphasizing the graphical and frames-per-second improvements. With Grand Theft Auto 6 set to innovate on some mechanics and improve the graphics even further, the debate about video game violence is once again at the forefront.

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Media outlet VideoGamer recently reported on an appearance Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick made on CNBC’s Squawk Box program. During this segment, Zelnick was asked about how Grand Theft Auto 6 could influence real-world violence. In response to this, Zelnick reminded the interviewer that this theory has been “tested and disproved,” and that he’s “not worried.” The Take-Two CEO also stated that “entertainment doesn’t create behavior,” but that the reality is the inverse of that thesis. He further elaborated that violent TV shows and movies don’t receive the same criticism despite being “very realistic-looking.” While Grand Theft Auto 6 looks more realistic than earlier titles in the series, Zelnick doesn’t believe that will affect the psychology of gamers playing it, or influence them to be more violent in real life as a result.

Take-Two CEO Disagrees That Grand Theft Auto 6 Will Influence Violence

The debate about video games causing real-world violence precedes the creation of the ESRB, which was a response to the release of Mortal Kombat and Night Trap. These games may be considered relatively tame by today’s standards, but many people had genuine concerns about them at the time. With the release of each GTA, this conversation rises again, and politicians occasionally suggest that it’s something they’re looking into. Given the popularity of Grand Theft Auto 5 and its wild success as an intellectual property overshadowing other major franchises, it’s unlikely that GTA games will stop releasing unless there are proven direct links to violence.

As Take-Two Interactive continues to advance the Grand Theft Auto series, future releases will likely see similar scrutiny. Despite other games featuring similar violence, GTA seems particularly susceptible to discussions about violence in gaming.

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