So, Rockstar finally announced that "Grand Theft Auto 6 " is under
development, although calling it an announcement may be greatly
overstating the case. After 10 paragraphs detailing all the new
content additions coming to GTA5, a very brief mention "confirm[s that
the] active development for the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto
series is well underway."* That this is the case surprises nobody, but
it apparently is the first /official/ announcement from the company
that there will be a GTA6.

I'm ambivalent about the news. I generally enjoyed the GTA franchise
and fairly confident that the new product will be high-quality. I'm
just not sure the series is relevant to me anymore. So much of what
made the earlier games stand out are either no longer as unique, such
as its huge open world or, like its satirical commentary on the modern
world, seem sadly dated.

Grand Theft Auto 1 & 2 helped usher in 'mature' titles to video gaming
(even if they weren't at the forefront of the movement). Modern music,
curse words and 'ohmigosh, did I just run over that guy and now am
trailing bloody tire-tracks' gameplay heralded a new era of
video-games that were no longer 'just for the kids'.

"Grand Theft Auto 3" and its two spin-offs were technological marvels
of their time that joyfully aped their cinematic inspirations even as
it made fun of them - and everything else - in equal measure.

"Grand Theft Auto 4" remains my favorite of the franchise, even if I
freely admit that - as a game - it was a downgrade from its
predecessors. But the attention to detail in its world and its
compelling story** and characters with some real humanity to them make
it the most memorable of the bunch.

"Grand Theft Auto V", though, felt shallow in comparison. Visually, it
remained a treat for the eyes, and its minute-by-minute gameplay is
still exciting. But its satire lacked the same punch, its story was
meandering and themeless, and its characters superficial reverts. It
felt like a game aimed at the lowest common denominators, and
Rockstar's focus around its multiplayer component only reinforced this
viewpoint.

So what will GTA6 have to offer me? A huge and impeccably detailed
world? Likely, but equally likely is that all this detail will be
surface-only, with little impact on story or gameplay. Rockstar may be
able to put in more detail than any other studio, but if it doesn't
affect the world, am I really any better playing GTA6 than any other
game? Meanwhile, their uninteresting characters and narratives pale in
comparison to that found in other titles, and the multiplayer-(and
revenue-) focused gameplay increasingly leave me cold.

That's not to say GTA6 might not be a fantastic game. It very well
could be. Rockstar has the money and skill to develop an excellent
product. But while earlier iterations easily climbed to the top of my
'must buy' list, GTA6 has a much harder task ahead of it. It lacks the
novelty and excitement of its predecessors; it's no longer unique, and
its gameplay no longer appeals to my changing tastes. I'm sure it will
be a huge success for the company; I'm just not sure I'll be a part of
it.

-----------------------------
* source:
https://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/ak73k92o47ko75/grand-theft-auto-community-update

** Or , more precisely, its "compelling after you strip out all the
detours demanded by marrying it to a video-game" story. Which,
admittedly, is a pretty big ask.

I'd rather see them quit screwing around and do some work on Red Dead
Redemption 2 Online Mode. There's so much that could be done there,
but for whatever reason is doesn't get the updates the GTA series
does.

I will more than likely buy GTA6 though.

I can't explain why I tend to play the singler player modes of the GTA
series, but fizzle out when it comes to multi, meanwhile the complete
inverse of that is true for RDR2, where it is the online mode that
appeals.