What is very likely to be the largest game of this console generation seems like it can’t escape from leaks. That whole thing from September-2022 where a whole hour of testing footage was taken. Earlier this year with a few smaller leaks. And then, what should have been a huge moment that fans the world over sat waiting for, robbed when that first trailer for GTA VI leaked.

Rockstar Games quickly handled that one, releasing the trailer early so that the leaked version (a low quality one that also seemed to be advertising cryptocurrency) didn’t dominate the conversation. So when I woke up on the day it was meant to release, expecting to be speculating and anticipating that trailer, I could instead watch it immediately. Which I didn’t, because I wanted to know the reason for that early release. Which brought me to information on that leak.

When I did put the trailer on for the first time, I was immediately awed by what I was seeing. The detail of this world. It’s size! I’ve not really analysed it in great detail myself, even after numerous rewatches, but Vice City looks huge in comparison to its previous incarnation. And even Los Santos from GTA V. The Everglades are represented, as are the Keys, which gives more space to be exploring than just Vice City. The state of Leonida is likely going to be the greatest playground Rockstar has ever built.

Which leads me to one hope I have for GTA VI. Director Mode. It needs to come back. And be expanded on. Sure, cheats within story mode are all well and good, but Director Mode was a different beast. Play as many of the character types in the game and just mess around. The ultimate sandbox. Except… not really. There were limitations to it that meant you couldn’t go fully crazy. While it had a super jump, super speed was nowhere to be seen. While you could activate low gravity or slidey cars, they didn’t affect the whole map.

Then there were vehicles and weapons, where you were only allowed what you had in story mode. Which meant if you hadn’t bought any garages and put some cars in them, there was no easy way to get the vehicle you wanted. And you were cut off from crazy weapons. Though even a pistol could be made crazy in Director Mode with explosive bullets activated.

More zany effects are something I would like to see with the next iteration of Director Mode. Even if the story mode is grounded in realism, there’s no reason the Director Mode can’t allow us to go all superhero with telekinesis and other weird powers. Unlock all weapons within the mode, and give access to all vehicles. Even those characters in story mode can’t own such as tanks and jets. And also allow us to place the vehicles, so we’re not restricted to where the game feels are appropriate spawn points.

Back to talking about the trailer, and there’s small hints of the story throughout. Though this one puts the focus on Lucia, it shows us that she and Jason are together. I feel the story elements we do see are from the beginning of it. Lucia in prison, where she seems pretty accepting of that fact. Certainly, her quip of it being bad luck she’s in there when asked indicates she has no worries about being there.

There’s a lot of carefree attitude about Lucia seen from the trailer. Though she can be serious from the ending, she’s someone who is out to have a good time, potentially using crime to fund her high-end lifestyle. Not serious amounts, but enough to keep it going. The trailer ends with Lucia narrating that to get through this, they need to be a team. Need to trust each other. Whatever happens when Lucia gets out of prison – whether that be she was released or escaped, things are getting more serious for the duo.

It’s too early to say where the story could end up going, but I feel there’s a need to keep chasing for more. Higher luxury status, someone known across the world. And with a higher status comes needing more money. Chasing larger paying jobs. Hitting stores and banks for cash isn’t going to cut it. So, criminal empires will be a thing. And the various characters the duo meet are involved in them. A vast wealth of them, and all undercover of legit businesses.

Since the duo are working for these businesses, they aren’t involved in the running of them. They do what they’re told, whether that be getting cargo around, protecting assets, or dealing with competitors. On both legit and illicit fronts. I’m pretty sure there’ll be more to the story than that, but I’m not going to speculate on any potential endings. All I’ll say is that if the criminal empire plays a large role in the story and both survive to the end, it would be good for the post game content if the duo were able to get into some of that themselves.

On a final note about the trailer, I’ve seen a lot of people saying that the culture of Florida has been accurately represented. It looks zany and wild, and will be a thrill to experience. The density of crowds and vehicles seen will also be wild if it can be like that in the final game. Though there’s a date of 2025 given in the trailer, I am rather hoping that will be early in the year rather than the usual Q4 release timing for big games. I am very much looking forward to seeing more of Leonida across next year as the time for GTA VI to release edges ever closer.

Images Taken From:
Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 1 | Rockstar Games