GTA’s Michael slams ‘clowns’ complaining about ‘woke’ GTA 6
To quote Stephen Sondheim, "Send in the clowns. Don't bother, they're here." Even months after the first GTA 6 trailer dropped, it seems we're still stuck having the same conversation. The future of Grand Theft Auto is here, but with the game pencilled in for 2025, it looks like the "woke" discourse is only going to get worse.
While things have changed since GTA V released in 2013, Rockstar Games' cultural commentary on the real world was always going to edge its way into GTA 6. With everything from Donald Trump to Black Lives Matter, #MeToo to Elon Musk helping shape the past decade, Rockstar would be foolish not to put its own spin on the news.
The problem is that some of the developer's typically crass humour has also aged, with the likes of GTA V's trans NPCs not exactly ageing well. A vocal minority is worried that Rockstar will dilute its signature brand, leading to a vanilla and "woke" GTA 6. Now, one of the franchise's former stars has some words for those angry few.
Ned Luke calls GTA 6's critics 'clowns'
Click to enlargeThe anti-woke crowd have already been sharpening their pitchforks and furiously typing into the Twitterverse to let their opinions be heard. It's all the usual voices who are enraged that GTA 6 dared have Lucia as a female protaonist - largely forgetting even the first GTA technically let you play as a woman.
Things have got frankly weirder since then, with others demanding #JusticeforJason because Lucia's male companion wasn't featured that prominently in the first trailer. Some have even gone full tin foil and are claiming Lucia is trans, with Rockstar trying to push some agenda on us.
Stopping the haters in their tracks, GTA V actor Ned Luke is silencing these critics. Known for playing Michael De Santa in GTA V, Luke is one of the franchise's most prominent names and has stuck close to the series since 2013.
In an emotionally charged interview with IGN, Luke said, "Lucia's hard, man. In the trailer, she looked good. You get a lot of these clowns out here going, 'Rockstar's going woke, they're caving into the wokeness of the world'.
"First of all, there's been other female protagonists in the past, but obviously not in something as huge as this." There are sure to be those disappointed that someone as close to GTA feels this way, but hopefully, it'll be a wake-up call that times are changing and not everyone in gaming is dragging their knuckles.
GTA 6 hyped as the biggest game ever
Click to enlargeLuke has high hopes for Lucia and the game at large, adding, "GTA 6 is going to be the biggest game ever. She looks like a badass to me. That last scene where they come busting in, she just looked like a badass. And the thing that was cool was that she led the way.
"She kicked open the door, and then Jason was back here. So, I don't know if you read into that as she's going to be the big time and he's going to be with her, or what." Bear in mind that this was just the first trailer, so there's likely lots more to come. With that, you'll likely get more "woke" allegations.
Ultimately, it's hard to see a world where GTA 6 falters. We've been waiting for a year for an official reveal, and with the first GTA 6 trailer breaking records, it's a good sign of what's to come. With the trailer homaging real-life moments from viral Florida (and possibly rattling Florida Joker), it's clear the fun of Rockstar's past is still here.
