GTA 6 protagonist: Should Rockstar Games let players create their own character?

It cannot be overstated how successful the GTA franchise has been, so much so that one of the most talked-about games on the internet, GTA VI, does not have so much as a promotional image.

The game is reportedly in the early stages of development, and it will be a long time before Rockstar Games release any information about it.

The GTA franchise has given the game industry some of the most well-designed and immersive open-world games for over two decades. The games have incorporated elements of RPG, such as having Character Stats that evolve over time through specific activities.

However, there has always been a fine line between a GTA game and RPG games. The franchise has never been a completely RPG-style open-world game but rather only stuck to only incorporating certain elements of the genre.

GTA and the Protagonist Dilemma

If Rockstar Games decide to let players create their own character, much like in GTA Online, there are obvious upsides to it but just as many downsides. Here we take a look at the pros and cons of letting players build their own characters.

Pros

The obvious advantage of being able to create your very own character in the game is that the players are able to immerse themselves to a larger degree. They can give the character their own appearance or craft a wholly original character that they can build from the ground up.

The Saints Row franchise does this and even lets players pick out a voice for their character. Another upside to this is that players could build characters of any gender if they so wished, much like in GTA Online.

This would be a massive step forward in the level of immersion for the GTA franchise but there is a massive trade-off, which we will discuss further.

Cons

While there are plenty of great things about being able to create your own characters, the narrative does take a hit. While games like Skyrim and other RPGs excel by letting players craft their own story, the GTA franchise tells a very definitive sort of story.

Furthermore, characters in GTA have set backstories and personalities, which add a level of narrative weight in the story. If players are allowed to pick their own backstory, akin to something like Lifepaths in Cyberpunk 2077, it will mean straying too far from the GTA franchise's roots.

Voice acting also becomes an issue as the games, up till now, have great performances because the actors are picked to play certain specific roles and personalities.

Conclusion

Rockstar Games will have to find a point somewhere between the two so as to not divide the fanbase and compromise the game's commercial appeal while also being creatively ambitious.

It is an extremely difficult task, made even more difficult with the level of expectations attached with a GTA game.