On October 7, IGN published its full interview with Rob Nelson, co-studio head and head of development at Rockstar North. It was recorded in July, when Nelson played about 30 minutes of GTA 6 for IGN, and the main points ran in August with IGN’s preview. We checked the whole transcript against our fact registry. Most of it was already there, so below is only what is new.
Robberies fill the time between missions
Nelson told IGN that you can rob almost anything, and that the robberies in the Extended Look stand for a large share of what you can and need to do between story missions. He recommends parking a getaway car outside first. In the demo he skipped that, walked into a shop that sells headphones, found the safe and its combination, and left by the back door when police gathered outside. An explosive would have opened the safe but damaged some of the loot. More on the mechanic is in our robberies entry.
Some cars are locked until later
Certain parked cars stay inaccessible until you get further into the story and acquire the tools to open them, but any driver can be carjacked. The phone scanner, trackers and fences are covered in our article on stealing cars and driving.
The partner at the wheel
When Jason and Lucia travel together, you can switch characters and let the partner drive while you shoot at pursuers. In the demo Nelson did this on the way to a robbery. The character you aren’t playing has a routine of their own: after a switch Jason might be at the safehouse or out, and in the demo he was in the shower. The couple can also train at the gym together, and both work out at once.
Romance is optional
Nelson couldn’t name a gameplay benefit of the romance: Jason and Lucia stay partners in crime either way. How you treat the relationship does change how their story plays out, but Rockstar doesn’t want to force it on players who aren’t interested. It grows with time spent together, from walks and activities to robberies. If you ignore the other character’s message in the evening, it may affect the relationship a little.
Your car and your clothes
You can call your personal vehicle at any time, and every weapon you have bought is in the back. The trunk can also hold spare outfits, which matters because police remember what you wear.
Missions and the world
Where a mission turns on police or robberies, Rockstar builds it to match the open world. The tower-block mission from the Extended Look has several ways out, and too much freedom can lower a mission’s quality, so some stay guided. The world also changes over time less than in Red Dead Redemption 2, because that isn’t as big a part of the story. Asked about the ankle tag from the trailers, Nelson said it is part of the story and of how the two are brought together, and gave no details.
Small things
- Holding down on the D-pad sets a map waypoint without opening the map
- Holding hands is done by holding R2
- Nelson said specific political issues and memes date fast, so the characters avoid very current slang
How current this is
The interview was recorded in July, and Nelson said then that the game still needed polish, so some details may change before November 19.
