One of the most successful computer game franchises in history, Grand Theft Auto (GTA), is set to release a new chapter, and everyone who has ever enjoyed shooting down a police helicopter with a grenade launcher is talking about it.
GTA VI, as it is currently known, will be released in 2025, but a leaked trailer shows a new female lead character and the usual cocktail of debauchery and violence. Computer games don’t often “cut through” into mainstream culture, but the likes of Minecraft, Super Mario, Call of Duty are huge commercial successes. With its combination of art-imitating-life graphics and proudly offensive content, GTA is no diffeent.
Such franchises also reflect the increasing discretionary spending on this segment of the entertainment industry by younger people. Gaming is big business and investors are taking notice. Back in November 1997, when GTA originally launched as a birds-eye-viewer single-player adventure game, you would hardly believe commentators if they told you that, 26 years later, its sixth iteration would be a topic of discussion on Radio…
