Elon Musk, the billionaire, recently stated on Twitter that he “tried” playing Grand Theft Auto 5, but “didn’t like doing crime.” The most profitable entertainment product ever created is Grand Theft Auto 5. It has been a major earner since its initial release in 2013, with Rockstar Games providing numerous content upgrades to Grand Theft Auto 5’s online mode for almost a decade.
The tremendous success of Grand Theft Auto 5 meant that Rockstar was never in a rush to release GTA 6. But, finally, Rockstar is looking to the future, having just released the first-ever Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer, which received massive attention. The excitement surrounding the Grand Theft Auto 6 teaser has sparked a flurry of conversation about the new game and the GTA franchise in general, with Elon Musk even weighing in.
Musk responded to a Twitter employee who listed the GTA games he had not played (presumably all of them), saying, “Tried, but didn’t like doing crime.” In the opening sequence of GTA5, it was necessary to shoot police officers. I simply couldn’t do it.” The Grand Theft Auto games have been very divisive for decades, and Musk is far from the first to criticize the franchise’s content.
Aside from story missions in which players shoot cops, destroying havoc in the free world will draw the attention of law enforcement. Players in Grand Theft Auto can try to avoid the cops, but they will often have to kill them in order to continue their criminal spree. Because killing officers is practically unavoidable in GTA, it’s reasonable that some people may be uncomfortable playing the games.
The upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 is unlikely to depart from the series’ trademark violent violence, and will almost surely have plot objectives in which players come into direct conflict with cops. The first trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 revealed that the main character Lucia is already in problems with the cops, and it ended with her and her lover robbing a store. Despite this, it’s unknown whether Musk will play GTA 6.
